As Time Goes By
by Mariann's
Summary: Sequel to "A Happy Christmas Ending" - Pairing RL/SB - SLASH- The Gargle Island children grow older and go to Hogwarts. Some things will still happen to Harry, but he has better "weapons" this time - AU! Most chapters Rating T
1. A Tiny School

Chapter 1 – A Tiny School

**Chapter 1 – A Tiny School**

Four years had gone by and still the family lived in their comfortable home on Gargle Island. When they had moved in, the house had been habitable, clearly a once very elegant, now a bit worn down house, so Remus and Sirius had spent a lot of effort into renovating it. Kisty had of course kept the inside perfectly clean, but she could not do all the repairs that were needed to keep the house in perfect shape. Remus had taken up the work on the outside of the house in the first summer of their stay. It shone in a light lilac colour, with the typical Victorian white lines surrounding edges, windows and doors, which was a good background for the thickly growing honeysuckle, wisteria and clematis.

The windows on the first and second floor had shutters, which Remus painted in a darker lilac. All the window frames and sills were white. The roof was new as well and had been rebuilt with anthracite roof tiles.

Inside Remus had painted the walls in the living and dining rooms in soft creamy colours and added a few wallpapers on some walls for some more pizzazz. Everything now looked well used but crisp and clean. Any surprise visitor would have found a perfect house kept by two bachelor men with a caring house-elf. No one would have guessed that there was an ancient protection charm that hid two little children from unwelcome eyes. In fact, many a guest had passed at the house, but only those who were informed by Dumbledore could see the children. But Sirius did have the occasional guest he had to entertain from work, so he brought them home now and then.

Remus looked at the two children who were now five and four year old. The siblings had their days when they fought over everything and others, when they actually played together very nicely. Remus had the suspicion that they always switched to harmonious sibling mood when someone dared criticising either of them. He knew that the two loved each other as much as they loved their daddies. When he and Sirius had become their parents after their real parents' deaths they had actually decided that they would remain to be Moony and Padfoot for the children, but that had soon been forgotten, when first Harry and then Hannah started to call them daddy and daddy, too. Since Remus didn't really like to be called daddy he had changed the title to papa. And Sirius, who had been a bit jealous to have the too (or: two) added to his title, became daddy after a while.

Harry patiently explained to his sister why she couldn't yet be the captain of their band of robbers, as she was the younger one and Hannah complained loudly about always being put back for being the younger one. They had just finished breakfast and because it was raining outside they settled in the living room to spend the morning playing. Throwing a last glance at the role-playing children, Remus picked up the Daily Prophet and started to read.

"Return of the Boy Who Lived and his sister to their guardians' care in Britain" said the headline. Remus sighed, read the article that warmed up the whole story of the 'Boy Who Lived' and why he had been placed in a wizarding family in Canada for a few years and that they would now live with their originally appointed guardians on the Scilly Islands. Dumbledore had thought it best if the public was informed that the children were back on British territory, and he hoped that after this article the curiosity would die down.

Another year and then Dumbledore would quietly take off the Fidelius charm. It had done its work in the best of ways, keeping the children safe and giving the two wizards who took care of them time and space to raise them with as much privacy as possible. Remus thought back on these four years fondly. Not one single thing had gone wrong since Sirius and he had taken up residence in Gargle Hall. Their relationship had bloomed, the children had grown happy and healthy, well cared for by Remus and Kisty. They were in their best form right now, both with shiny black hair, Harry with his mother's brilliant emerald green eyes, Hannah with her father's hazel eyes. Their personality had turned out very similar, both tended to have their mother's temper and that flared up quite frequently between them. But they were both placid enough that such quick anger also died down again quickly.

The only unhappy time they spent together was usually at Halloween. Neither Sirius nor Remus could still find anything remotely pleasurable in this holiday, so it was never celebrated as such in their house.

Harry had started to ask questions about his parents once he understood that normally children had a father and a mother, and not two fathers. Remus and Sirius had then explained to him that his real parents had been their best friends and that they had died when Harry and Hannah were still babies. Remus had to take a while to explain to Harry what it meant to be dead. As Harry had only been about three at the time he had taken this information and hadn't really understood, but over the next two years the questions came and Remus showed the children the photos of their parents. He still didn't know that James and Lily had been murdered. Remus was prepared to tell him gradually, also the reason why a mad mass murderer wanted him dead when he was a baby, although much of that was still a mystery to the children's guardians, too.

Sirius had it a bit easier these days, because after the mass of Death Eater trials had been concluded he had taken the chance of going over the magical laws with a group of internal and external lawyers to clean it out and reform it from the beginning to the end. They were now looking through and comparing all the different laws in the legal body. Sirius was able to do a lot of work at home and had his study filled with all his law books and piles of parchment with notes.

Remus thought fondly of his mate who sat a few rooms away from his family deeply engrossed in his studies. It was untypical for the ever-moving Sirius Black to find pleasure in something that contained so much studying, but when the occasion had come up Sirius had sought Dumbledore's advice, and Dumbledore had told him to take the chance, because it would be a great opportunity to get some much needed reforms through.

Lunchtime meant having Sirius eating with the rest of the family at least twice a week. He discussed the findings with the five other members of the group twice a week. The other three days he either spent at home, reading, or at his office and in the archives at the Ministry, researching. The Ministry kept almost two thousand years worth of legal texts in its archives. It was high time that the laws were renewed and straightened. The Death Eater trials had shown one or two loopholes too many, which had been the main cause for the order to go over the texts. Sirius had almost worked himself to death when he prepared the trials. Amelia and he had been the ones to preside over most of them, as Barty Crouch had fallen from grace in the year after Voldemort's fall. Remus shuddered when he remembered what happened to the Longbottoms! Crouch's own son had been one of the Death Eaters caught with Sirius' cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and her brother-in-law. They were sentenced for life to Azkaban. But that had not returned Alice and Frank Longbottom's sanity; the two of them had resided in St. Mungo's ever since. Poor little Neville! He often came to play with Harry and Hannah. His grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, an elderly witch of great stance and strength, believed he needed to have a few friends of his own age before he went to Hogwarts.

Remus mused about Neville. Harry and Neville almost shared their birthday; Neville was born just one day before Harry. They needed to be tutored, he thought and prepared a mental letter to Mrs Longbottom, offering her to take on Neville together with Harry and Hannah, if she would entrust the primary education of her grandson to him. Mrs Longbottom knew he was a werewolf, but didn't care much about that. She cared a lot more that Remus had been a good friend of Alice's and an almost as close friend to Frank. It was now the beginning of July, so it was high time to ask his question.

So Remus threw a quick glance at the children again who were still playing rather peacefully. He stood up and went to the other living room, where he had his own study and sat down to write that letter. He had already gathered the school materials for Harry. As he knew that Hannah would not be kept out he had bought the same books for her, too, he was quite sure she'd learn to read and write just like Harry, even though she was a year younger.

Once his owl had taken off with the letter Remus looked at the clock and noticed it was shortly before lunch. He got up, checked up the kids and then left to see how far Kisty was with cooking their lunch. She greeted him cheerfully and announced:

"Lunch is quite ready, master Remus!"

"Thank you, Kisty! I'll get the children to wash their hands then."

Sirius smelled the food from his study and came out of it, carefully locking it behind him. He wasn't scared that someone could go and get everything rumpled and mixed up, but two years ago the family had acquired two kittens and a year later a Border collie puppy and the young animals in combination with the young children could be quite disastrous if they set their minds to it. Naturally Sirius was quite pleased to see James in the children. He hoped they'd become as mischievous as their father and as clever as their mother. So to lock the study meant to avoid time-costly things to happen.

Together Sirius and Remus checked that both children sat properly on their chairs. Tipsy, the collie sat next to Sirius at every meal. She hardly ever got anything off the table, but she always remained hopeful. That was something that highly amused Harry and Hannah, who were able to giggle about the dog's antics for hours. Before taking his own seat Sirius quickly kissed Remus.

"Hey love! How's your morning been?" Remus inquired.

"Not too bad. I found another law that was never abolished when a new one was passed. We should just simply add "replaces all earlier versions of this law" and half the work would be done…"

"But then there would certainly still be loopholes…"

"Which is why I continue to read," Sirius admitted, smiling.

"How many loopholes did the Malfoy lawyer find again?"

"Eleven! If we had not been able to simply question the Malfoys under Veritaserum they'd have got off on the claim of being under _Imperius_!"

"We were all glad, when they vanished in Azkaban."

"That we were. And I tell you what, little Draco is certainly better off under Andy's care!"

"Remember the howling in the rest of the Black clan when she got the custody because she was Narcissa's closest remaining relative?"

"Geez, yes! It was too funny… I am very glad I could convince people that my mother wasn't a fit parent for a small child; Andy has done a marvellous job so far, he's a very normal kid, not spoiled, just with the healthy amount of self-confidence," Sirius replied.

The children listened to what their fathers talked. They knew Draco well enough, because once the question of the custody had been cleared Andromeda Tonks had asked Sirius if Draco was welcome to come and play with the Potter children. Sirius had invited the boy in quickly, hoping he could be turned away from the dark Malfoy side. A child was rarely **born** evil after all. So Draco had become one of the children who were allowed to play with the "Boy-Who-Lived" and the two liked each other well enough.

Early afternoons were story time for Harry and Hannah. For two hours Remus sat down with them somewhere comfortably and read them book after book. He enjoyed these hours a lot and he hoped that he had roused their curiosity for reading well enough through all the reading they did. They always kept an extra book going on when there were visitors, so the children who only came for a day or two would not only hear fragments. Remus had started this to give the children a quiet time during the day and to replace the nap they had taken until recently. It calmed them down enough to get some fresh energy for the late afternoon and the early evening. Gone were the days when the children went to bed at just after seven. Hannah was usually still going on full speed at that time. But then she was an incredible tomboy. Since she mostly had boys as playmates she had become like a boy for the most part. She wore robes but would never have worn a dress. Sirius and Remus had given up offering her nice girly clothes; she didn't want them. When she chose her daywear she always went for the jeans or the shorts, even when Susan Bones or Hannah Abbot were coming over. The latest addition to the female visitors on Gargle were the twin daughters of an old friend of Sirius and Remus', Vaidyanathan Patil. Parvati and Padma were much more girly than Susan and Hannah Abbot, but that didn't mean they weren't ready for some roughhousing.

So once the children were allowed to get up from the lunch table they usually went straight to the living room, got out the book they were reading and called impatiently for Remus to come and continue reading. Sirius grinned and kissed Remus before vanishing in his study again.

"Have fun, love!"

"Thanks! I will. As long as they still want to listen I'll love reading to them."

"No wonder they love to listen to you! You have a great voice and you read just great, too!"

Sirius grinned and went over to his study. He loved the room. It was situated between the library and the small living room. It had a door into both of these rooms and the big living room. When he did some of his work in the evening (mostly when the weather was too good to pass up playing with the children outside) Remus would sit down in one of the leather chairs and read, too. The resulting silence was always most comforting and usually ended in a good snog and sex.

But today he was doing his job, working until five when he put his quill down and marked the book he was studying. He prepared everything he'd need for his research at the Ministry the next day. A list of texts, laws and possible sources to pick up. An owl rapped on the window of his study. Most owls normally came to the kitchen window where Kisty took their mail. Sirius looked up and recognised Andy's owl. He opened the window and let the bird inside.

"Oh dear, you must be soaked in this weather. Come, have a rest near the fireplace in the living room, dear."

Sirius took the letter and led the way to the living room, where a huge fire kept the room nice and warm. There was a perch near the fire and Sirius meant to feel some relief in the owl as she took off to warm herself up. Sirius sat down next to Remus and looked at the letter. Andy usually fire-called, but this time she sent a letter. He broke the seal and opened the flap of the envelope, then he pulled a single sheet out of it.

"_Dear Sirius,_

_I've just been called to see to your mother, she's in a very bad shape. I would go as far as to say she's in such a bad shape that if you want to come and see her one more time you'll have to drop everything and floo!_

_Sorry to have such bad news!_

_Andy."_

"Oh shit!" Sirius cursed and in the next moment covered his mouth.

Remus grinned.

"They'll pick that up anyway, Sirius. – What's up?"

Sirius passed the letter to Remus and said:

"Well, I probably have to go."

"Best of luck then, love."

"To which direction? I hope she goes – preferably sooner rather than later," Sirius said honestly.

"Ungrateful son that you are!" Remus teased.

"Well, I couldn't care less. How can you become a grateful son when your own mother treats you like a monster? I'm in no mood to show gratefulness in any form. All I can offer is the hope that it is fast and not too hard. More sympathy just isn't there."

"Shouldn't tease you with this, sorry, love! I hope you can come home soon. We need you."

"I'll count the minutes, love…"

Sirius went up to their room to get dressed. He put black trousers and a white shirt on and searched his wardrobe for a more elegant black robe. Then he brushed and tied his hair and went back down to get his shoes and cloak. He said goodbye to his family and kissed Remus, holding him tight.

"Well. Off to the horror place then… I hope Andy is there to catch the fallout when I get under mum's eyes…"

"You're terrible, Sirius! Can't wait to have you back, love!"

Sirius gave Remus a last kiss and turned to the fireplace. He threw in some floo powder and stepped inside.

"12, Grimmauld Place!" he called and vanished.

Remus looked after him and sighed.

Sirius stepped out of the fireplace in the kitchen of number 12, Grimmauld Place. The kitchen was very dark, only illuminated by two small torches. Sirius took the staircase under his feet, taking two steps at once until he arrived at the door leading into the entrance hall. This was even worse than the kitchen; the two gaslights flickered and threw shadows at the dark walls. Sirius took off his cloak and put it over his arm. He braced himself when he moved up to the first floor, where the drawing room was. He entered it to see if he could find his cousin there. She wasn't. Sirius climbed up one more floor and entered the master bedroom. Also this room was barely lit. In the huge four-poster bed laid his mother, even paler than he remembered. Sirius saw his mother for the first time since he had fled his home, ten years before. Andy was sitting in one of the armchairs in a corner of the room, where the only better light in the room was. She saw him enter and stood up.

Sirius rushed to her, dropped his cloak over the back of an armchair and pulled her in his arms.

"Hey, Andy!"

"Hi Sirius."

"No one else here?"

"Who would be? There's no one else left. Almost no one. Two or three of your uncles and aunts are in Azkaban and the rest is either dead or too old to even move…"

"Or gone."

Sirius threw a glance at the form in the bed. She was unconscious. Sirius turned back to Andy and asked:

"How long do you think she has?"

"No idea. She would have died all alone here if I hadn't thought of coming to see if she was still alive…"

"Did you find her still conscious?"

"I did. But she wasn't very coherent. I just took care of her basic needs. Her heart's completely down. Her liver is completely destroyed; she must have been drinking for years. She's confused…"

"…that's not exactly new…" Sirius threw in.

"No, I know it's not, but the alcohol has done nothing to make that any better. I couldn't take anything from what she babbled. And she's not going to come out of this anymore. You'd better send an owl to the family lawyer, Sirius."

Sirius looked pensive. He nodded and went to have another look at his mother. Her eyes were closed. She barely breathed. Sirius turned to Andy and asked:

"Will you stay with her?"

"Can you take Dora and Draco for a few days to Gargle Hall?"

"Of course. Should I go and get them?"

"Please. Ted had to take off to look after them today."

"I organise that and return afterwards, okay? Can you fire-call Remus and tell him to expect the two children for dinner?"

"Will do; thanks, Sirius."

Sirius summoned his cloak, put it on and apparated to Andy's house. Ted welcomed him and asked:

"How's your mother?"

"Probably out of it for good, Ted. I don't think I'll cry anymore than when my father died, I just can't. Andy asked me if Remus and I would take Dora and Draco to Gargle Hall for a few days."

"Would you? I could take off for today, but I should be back at work tomorrow."

"Of course. I suppose, the kids won't mind?"

"Certainly not. They usually love to come out to Gargle Island. Don't you, kids?"

"Yes! Kisty's kitchen and Remus' books!" cried Nymphadora.

"Harry and Hannah!" added Draco.

Sirius ruffled the blond head of his nephew.

"They'll certainly love to have you around for a while."

"Can I share Harry's room?" Draco asked.

"Just ask him. I don't think he'll say no," Sirius advised with a smile.

"Then let's pack something for the two of you, so you can sleep over a few nights. We don't know how long mummy will be away…" said Ted and stood up.

He took the children along to let them choose what they wanted to take along. When they came back down, Dora and Draco were dressed up and had their bags with them, reduced in size. Sirius and Ted helped them through the Floo. Dora with her ten years could go alone, Sirius took Draco's hand.

"Ready?"

"Yep!"

"Then let's go! – Gargle Hall, Hannah's tiger…"

Remus was already waiting. Harry, Hannah and Draco said hello and ran off to their playroom on the top floor of the house. Remus called right after them to be ready for dinner in half an hour.

"Are you still staying for dinner, Siri?"

"Yes, I think so. Who knows what I'll find at the mausoleum. Or I might take two portions for Andy and me back to there…"

"Good idea. Let's have Kisty prepare them."

Sirius returned to Grimmauld Place with dinner for himself and his cousin. Andy didn't mind the good food at all. She was very hungry and very tired. After dinner Sirius went and looked through the study for anything that might clear the problems that might arise from his mother's death. Since he fell out with his family he had never learned about the family statutes or the way the family inheritance was handled. Now he studied what he could find in his father's study. He found some information, especially the name of the family lawyer, so he wrote his letter to summon the man.

He released Andy for a few hours, so she could find some rest. When she returned he went back to Gargle Hall, where an owl reached him the next morning. It was the lawyer who announced that he would come to Grimmauld Place in the morning. Sirius got up and sent an owl to Amelia Bones, informing her he would be unable to come to work in the next few days due to the imminent death of his mother. Amelia had no problems with this and granted him the leave.

Then he met the lawyer. Sirius received him in the study. He had opened the curtains and the shutters to let some daylight into the room. Kreacher, the house-elf led the lawyer in there and reluctantly served tea.

"Mr. Ingram?" Sirius asked.

"Correct. I presume you are Mr. Sirius Black?"

"That's right. Take a seat, please. Have you any information for me how such a death of the last member of a generation in my family is usually handled? My mother will die in the next few hours or the next few days, but she will die and I need to know beforehand if there are things happening by magic or so…"

"There is not. Not really. The accounts will be temporarily frozen until all necessary papers will be signed. To my knowledge you are the last heir of the family, thus everything will go to you. You will have to take possession of the estates, in other words you will have to key this house and the Black Estate in Hampshire to you. The smaller houses should not cause a problem. The procedure is described somewhere, I think you should find it in the library."

"I'll do that. And we'll look for it. The library won't seal itself or something?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"I shall look for any pertinent information at the library then. Do you know how I can pass on the family name and fortune? Do I have to have children of my own, or would my adopted children be eligible? I wouldn't want the family heritage to be lost."

"There are some written statutes around here some place. I suggest you should look for those, too. I can have my assistant send you a copy, too."

"Please do. There is enough I already have to look around for. Is there a will that my mother left?"

"No. You'll inherit everything. You're free to make personal gifts to other family members."

"Okay."

Sirius was busy in the next few days to find the relevant information in the house. He couldn't bear the darkness, so he opened all the heavy curtains and let light and air into the house. He also had to contend with the old house-elf Kreacher, who was less than helpful and tried to close the windows and curtains again until Sirius ordered him to vanish in his corner and not turn up until he called him. He studied the old texts in the library and the years he had spent in the meantime doing such research really came in handy at this time. Andy helped him to sight all the details and together they were able to get a fairly good grip on the magics that took place when one generation of Blacks took over from the former.

But finally, after two weeks of work for Sirius, the whole legal consequences were cleared. Together with Andy Sirius had freed Grimmauld Place of the worst of the many spells that covered the house, certain rooms and had freed it from the darkness. It was cleaned up from the dark objects, which Sirius unceremoniously dumped into the main Black vault. The house was now ready for a thorough cleaning and renovation. Andy and Sirius had also taken care of the furniture in the house, so that it was now completely empty and bare.

Kreacher remained to be a problem. Sirius finally asked Dumbledore if he had any use of the house-elf at Hogwarts. They agreed that Kreacher was officially sold to Hogwarts. He had to comply and work at the school. Dumbledore didn't really care whether he actually worked or not, as long as he left the other house-elves in peace.

Meanwhile the children on Gargle Island had great fun and were running around the island playing pirates under the firm lead of Nymphadora, who had changed her look into one dangerous looking pirate. Remus only needed to look out of the different windows now and then to see that they got along just fine. He had read them the Treasure Island, several times already even, because they loved how he played the different characters and now they were playing a search for a treasure on their own island. Remus chuckled. They were convinced that somewhere on the island there must be a treasure. He had allowed them to dig in the sand, but nowhere else.

Andy came with Sirius to take her two children back home. Draco looked like he came out of a pigsty! All the adults had to laugh when the children came trouping inside, but Remus successfully caught them on the patio.

"I want to clean you up before you enter the house and bring everything inside!" he called and scourgified them on the spot. Draco and Dora grudgingly went to fetch their things from their rooms. They brought everything down, ready to go, but Andy said:

"We do have time for tea here, then we'll go home, okay?"

The children took that as an excuse to vanish upstairs to play something for a while still. Remus asked Andy:

"Do you have Draco's tutoring already organised, Andy?"

"Yes, he'll go to Hogsmeade Primary. Why?"

"I will homeschool Harry and Hannah, and probably Neville, too. You could have sent Draco, too."

"I believe that the school will be quite good for him. Even more exposure to 'normal' kids. He'll be able to meet other children, too."

"I wish we could send Harry, but Dumbledore won't have it. I'm just glad we have a good number of other children around, so he and Hannah won't be completely shy or arrogant around them once they go to Hogwarts. But I will ask Dumbledore that Hannah and Harry can both start at the same time. She'll be ready to go with him, of that I'm already sure," Sirius said with a sigh.

"He'll be fine, Sirius! So many children are home-schooled and most of them do perfectly fine."

"I know. Dumbledore is just denying my boy so much it hurts. He still hasn't lifted the Fidelius, even though he promised."

"Fetch him from the school and insist! If anyone who comes here does not find the slightest trace of the children here after that announcement in the Daily Prophet, there will be hell to pay in the media!"

"You're right! What a good argument! Of course they know that there won't be more than a glimpse of the child, but that they should get. I excluded any media contact for Harry until he is at least 16 and even then only in my or Remus' presence.

"Seems to be a good move."

A few days later Remus had a letter from Mrs Longbottom asking him for the fees and what her grandson would need for his tutoring in terms of books and materials. Remus wrote back and gave her a list of the books he intended to use but refused to take any kind of a fee.

So, at the end of the summer, three children happily congregated at Gargle Island and were taught how to read and write, how to count and calculate, and Remus taught them all sorts of other things, like biology, history and their first foreign language, French. Since he had brought up Harry and Hannah to be very curious they loved to learn and pulled Neville into it.

On a Wednesday in November Sirius was in the Ministry canteen with a few other witches and wizards when one of the collaborators from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad came to them.

"What the heck happened to you?" Sirius asked.

"Just had to do a clean-up from the accidental magic performed by a little Muggle-born witch. She must have been highly distressed, because she actually almost blew up a whole schoolyard."

"Dear me! How old?"

"Just turned 6 in September. I talked to her parents, because this is a really big one! She's quite a powerful little one and a very precocious one, too, methinks."

Sirius thought for a moment.

"Will she go back to her school?"

"That's just the problem. The poor child seems to have been the victim of a lot of hate from her classmates. She is a bit too much for them, it seems."

"She sounds interesting, Curt, do you think you could give me her name and address?"

"Sorry. You'd have to speak to the boss about that. I have to grant confidentiality as you know. Why are you interested in her?"

"Harry and Hannah could do with another friend. I might suggest to the girl's parents to add her to our three children Remus tutors."

"Ah, okay. I'm pretty sure Bones would be willing to bend the rules a little for you."

"I hope that no rules will need to be bent to help a little child. I would have to meet her before even mentioning anything anyway. Did you leave the knowledge to her parents that she is a witch?"

"We haven't obliviated them, no. We thought it's better to have them know, because then accidents will happen less frequently."

"Very good."

Sirius was curious. He met with Amelia Bones a few hours later and asked her about the girl.

"Her name is Hermione Granger. She's just turned six in September, so she will be in Harry's year. Here's her address. Her parents are dentists. Do you know what that is?"

"Muggle medical doctors who specialise in the care and repair of teeth, Amelia," Sirius replied with a smile.

"Oh. Never heard that one before. So you think they are intellectuals?"

"I suppose so. They have to have studied for a good long while at the university to become doctors. And Curt described little Hermione as precocious."

"So he would. She seems to have been quite a feisty little one."

"I'll go and visit her parents, then we'll see."

"Taking her into our world early would probably not be a bad thing. The little witch was able to uproot several trees in her schoolyard and some of her classmates had been fairly badly injured. Luckily our AMRS was there quicker than any Muggle policeman. They also had a medical aid with them. The girl is staying at home for a few days."

"She will have to be taught about her powers. She has to learn to channel them."

"Yes, but I suppose I can leave that to you and Remus, can't I?"

"You can."

Sirius went home in the evening and told Remus about the girl. The next day he paid the Grangers a visit at their dental practice in Oxford. To be able to speak with them he invited them for Lunch to Gargle Island.

"You will have to trust me, because I will transport you both to my home on the Scilly Islands. Shouldn't hurt you one bit though and it's instantaneous," Sirius said.

"You mean that you can actually just want to be somewhere and you get there?" Mrs Granger asked.

"Yes, that's about it," Sirius confirmed with a grin.

"Wow. That other man who brought Hermione back yesterday, he said she was very powerful for a six years old. What did he mean by that?"

"He meant that your little girl has a good amount of magical power, because he hasn't seen a child uproot any trees yet, let alone half a dozen."

"Okay, then we would like to come with you. Hermione is at her grandmother's for the day, so she's cared for," decided Mr. Granger.

Sirius side-along apparated the Grangers to Gargle Island. When they landed right on the front door of the house, both Grangers looked around in astonishment.

"Wowzers! This is amazing, Mr. Black! So this is really one of the Scilly Islands? Which one?"

"It's Gargle Island. You won't find it on the map when you look for it, because it is magically concealed. It's a tiny private island I inherited from a great-uncle of mine."

Sirius led the Grangers inside and they joined the family at the lunch table. Kisty served the food in her best manners. She had never even seen a Muggle before. The Grangers stared at the little creature and were informed about her status in the family. When Kisty left back to the kitchen, Remus said:

"Technically she's a slave. She's bound to the house and the family by ages old magic rules. We could give her freedom by giving her clothes, and then employ her properly, but she would refuse that or almost die, because she wants to do what she does. If we tell her to go and get some rest she usually protests, loudly. We love her a lot and the children have been brought up to respect her. They're not allowed to demand things from her unless they've consulted us first. If Kisty is the one looking after them for short time periods she's the one in charge. That was something she had to learn!"

"A slave! But that's horrible," Mrs Granger called.

"It is. We would love nothing better than to employ her as a free elf, but there's nothing doing. We don't want to make her angry or worse, sad. So she stays what she is, but she's privileged compared to other house-elves across the country," Sirius said.

"I see. So she is bound to you and your house, but she's happy doing it?"

"Absolutely. She has a lot of magic on her own, you know, it's not like she's slaving over work that's too hard for her. She uses her elf magic to do her work, usually with a snip of her fingers."

After lunch, Remus and Sirius sent the children outside to play and sat down in the living room with the Grangers to enjoy a perfect espresso and to talk about Hermione.

"You said that Hermione is at her grandparents for a few days?"

"Yes, we have taken her out of the school for a few days, to calm down and to discuss how to proceed. She has been the victim of several bullies it seems, children in her class who believe her to be something they don't want. Now it's clear to us that she is very different from them if she has that magical power. Hermione is a bit of a precocious child. She already knows how to read and write, she reads everything that comes under her nose. It seems that the bullies in her class were singling her out because she already knows a lot more than them and she has pointed that out repeatedly right from the start in her eagerness to learn more. We want her to receive a good education. But now we have doubts if this primary school is a good thing for her."

Remus nodded understandingly. Sirius nodded, too, and then offered:

"You have just met Harry, Neville and Hannah. Harry and Neville are a few months younger than Hermione and Hannah is a year younger than them. Remus teaches them here on Gargle Island. I have heard about Hermione first from a colleague who was there cleaning up and then from our boss, Amelia Bones, it was she who gave me your address. We think it might be good for Hermione to join our children for her schooling. She could be taught according to her abilities, because Remus is an excellent teacher."

"But how would she get from Oxford to here and back every day?" Mrs Granger asked and her husband wanted to know:

"Do you have a degree as a teacher, Mr. Lupin?"

"The transportation problem first. I suppose I could get a Floo connection set up to your house. Do you have a fireplace somewhere in your house?"

"Yes, we do, but what does that have to do…?"

"It's one of our methods for travelling. It's how little Neville comes here every day from his place. Hermione could do the same as it's a child-friendly means of travelling. We travel through the fire. A special magical powder makes that possible. But we'll have to have a connection set up to your fireplace for that."

The Grangers nodded and then turned to Remus to ask him how he taught, what he taught and also asked the children a few questions. Then they both agreed to give it a try.

"This way we also know where she is every day and she would be with children of her own kind. Thank you for that kind offer. We'll have to work out a payment for your kind help, Mr. Lupin. Are there specific books we need to get for Hermione?"

Remus passed a list to Hermione's parents and said:

"These are the books I'm using to teach, Harry, Hannah and Neville. I believe they are the standard first grade books."

Mrs Granger studied the list and said:

"These three here I know she already has. The others I'm not sure, but she'll tell me. Not that I'll have to force Hermione to visit a bookstore. She loves to read! I do hope she'll make some friends now. She's so difficult to get close to. That may partly be our fault, because she's been only with us and hasn't had the chance to see other children before the regular school started."

"Ours have the reputation to be very open-minded. Occasionally we might have other magical children of her age here, so she'll have a good choice. But Harry, Hannah and Neville are especially open kids; they'll grab her and maybe help her to be a bit child again, too."

"That would be great. She needs that badly. A bit of silliness would be good for her. When do you expect to have that connection done?"

"This afternoon. I'll head over to the respective department, but first I have to come over to you to see the fireplace, then you should decide on a name for your end, which we'll hand in. More than one suggestion would be handy to have one more, should your first wish already exist," Sirius said with a smile.

"Then we should probably return to our house now, or we won't have enough time before we open the practice for the afternoon patients."

Sirius apparated them to their house. They landed exactly behind their front door. Mr. Granger grinned.

"This is great. How far would that method reach?"

"Up to a few thousand kilometres, I think. Never tried that far until now though. I'd do it in several steps. Now then – any idea for your Floo name?"

"How about Hermione's Home?"

"That's certainly personal enough; I like it! And I'd bet that no one has used that… it's not like Hermione is a common name."

"What's usual?"

"Lots of names like that and lots of names with just the address. Let me go and talk to the respective officers at our Ministry."

"You have a Ministry? How does that work? You're like a state within a state!"

"Yes, kind of. The Ministry is there to regulate the wizarding population in all aspects, from education to economy. We're also responsible for the wizarding police and justice, which is where I work. I'm a lawyer within the Ministry's Magical Law Enforcement Department."

"When we have a bit more time I'd like to learn about that society a bit more, Mr. Black! I find this very, very fascinating. While my wife has always been the pure down to earth person I've always fancied fantasy a bit, but now it turns out that what I would have put firmly in the realm of fantasy is actually existing! You can imagine how that excites me!"

"It's very nice to hear you are interested in this, Mr. Granger. I'm sure we can get some time for a dinner together or something? Kisty just loves to cook for guests! For her taste we don't entertain near enough."

"We'll have to! But how are we proceeding now? We should head back to the practice."

"When do you finish tonight?"

"At 5pm we close shop. We'll be home by about 5.30-ish."

"Okay, let me come back here with the Ministry colleague while you're out to test the connection, then I'll come back tonight to show you all how it works. How about that?"

"Sounds perfectly fine to me. I'm sure some people would call that a bit stupid, but I trust you, Mr. Black."

Sirius couldn't help but laugh.

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Granger. Let me assure you that my old head of house, Professor McGonagall would tell you that I'm not to be trusted, ever! But that would be because too many people at my old school have been the victims of my pranks."

"I like your openness anyway. I do think we'll get Hermione from her grandmother's place then. You would do well not to come before 7pm."

"That's fine. Just after dinner then. For us, anyway…"

"Normally for us, too, but if we fetch Hermione home we'll be a bit later."

With the help of Amelia Sirius got his Floo connection set up in the afternoon. He tested it and found it in good working order. He brought some Floo powder from Diagon Alley when he visited the Grangers after dinner. He was welcomed by the elder Grangers and presented to Hermione. Sirius crouched down to be on eye-level with the girl when he talked to her:

"Hello, Hermione. I'm very pleased to meet you! I have two little persons at home who are almost the same age as you are. What would you say to spending the day with them and learning what you would learn in regular school? And maybe you could learn even a bit beyond that. There is a third child who comes to school to my partner and the three of them usually have great fun."

"Hello. Are they like me, too?"

"They certainly are! So am I. My name is Sirius Black and you may call me Sirius or Padfoot, that's my nickname."

"What a funny nickname you have! Padfoot! How did you get that?"

"It's nice, isn't? I can turn myself into a dog, you know, and my friends thought that's a real Padfoot, so I got tagged with the name."

"Mum and dad said I didn't have to go to the primary school anymore, that I'd come to your house instead. Is that true?"

"Yes, that's true. Would you like to meet my two children? They are also first graders. Hannah is actually still a bit young, but she's always been with Harry and so they learned everything together. Then there is Neville, who is the same age as Harry."

Hermione looked at her parents and nodded. She looked happy enough that she didn't have to go back to the primary school. But she was also practical and wanted to know:

"How do I get to your house? Do you live somewhere close?"

"No, I don't. I actually live quite far away, on Gargle Island, which belongs to the Scilly Islands, but it's unknown to the Muggles."

"But that's too far away, isn't it?"

"Which is why this afternoon we've installed the Floo connection for you to come by the fire every morning. All we have to do is start a fire in this lovely fireplace – Incendio!"

Hermione jumped when she saw the fire flare up in the grate.

"Now, look at this: I have here a powder, which we call Floo powder. You take a pinch of it and throw it in the fireplace. Do you see how it changes colour to green?"

"Yes!"

"You can touch it now, it won't burn you at all, see?"

Sirius held his hand into the fire and waited for Hermione to follow suit. It took a moment, but then she smiled when she tried it.

"Wow! And now?"

"Now we'll first call my family. All you have to do is call the destination, in our case Gargle Island!"

Remus' head became visible in the fireplace a moment later.

"This is my partner, Hermione, Remus Lupin. You can call him Remus or Moony, that's his nickname."

"Can he turn into an animal, too?"

"Sometimes. Remus, this little lady here would be Hermione."

"Hello, Hermione! I'm pleased to meet you!"

"Hello, Remus. Sirius is teaching me how to use this fireplace."

"Good. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon!"

Remus took his head out of the fireplace and Sirius demonstrated how to re-instate the connection to go through.

"To pass through the fire you now have to throw in your powder, step in as soon as the flames are green and clearly pronounce Gargle Island. Would you like to try that out? As soon as you've given your destination you'll start spinning and will be coming out of the fireplace in my house. We can go together if you'd like."

"Please – together."

"Sure. Come here and hold my left hand. Take a pinch of the powder and throw it into the flames."

Hermione followed his order and together they stepped into the flames. Sirius asked her to say the destination, which she did very well and both spun out of the fireplace, through the Floo and came back down into a Floo. Sirius helped her to stay upright when she got out of the fireplace. She looked around and saw that not only Remus was there, but also Harry and Hannah. Remus offered his hand and said:

"Well done, Hermione! This here are Harry, who's a few months younger than you, and Hannah, his sister, who's almost exactly a year younger than Harry. This is Hermione, kids!"

"Hi Hermione! Can you stay for a while? Then we'll show you around!" Harry offered immediately.

"Tomorrow, Harry! She can come even though she doesn't have all her books yet, you can always share what she doesn't have with her, can't you?"

"'Course! We're having loads of fun, Hermione! Papa is a great teacher."

Hermione smiled, still a bit shy, but she liked the room she saw. Hannah smiled back and said:

"You'll come tomorrow, won't you, Hermione? I could do with another girl here."

Sirius turned to the girl again and asked:

"Alright, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded and smiled more.

"Yes. I'll come tomorrow if mum and dad allow it."

"Great!"

Sirius took Hermione back to her parents. Mr. Granger wanted to know:

"Would this work for us, too? Or do you have to be magical?"

"It works for you. The magic in this case is in the powder and the fire."

"That's wonderful. And does the fire have to be started magically?"

"No, any fire will do."

They discussed the schedule for the next few days, which Sirius noted down and brought back to Remus when he returned home. The children were looking forward to the next day, which would bring some change to the usual, since Hermione would be joining them. They were finally off to bed and Remus and Sirius had time to spend together for a while. They went to bed fairly early and cuddled.

Sirius kissed his mate and started to caress him. Remus gave back as good as he got, kissing and nipping Sirius' flesh until the Animagus squirmed and sighed. The necking quickly expanded to petting and then heavy love-making.

They didn't need to keep their door open anymore, the children slept well and usually undisturbed. Remus loved nothing more than falling asleep after the sex and waking up in his lover's arms in the morning. They started the day the same way they had ended the one before. Knowing they usually didn't have much time in the morning Sirius penetrated Remus quickly and they enjoyed their usual morning quickie.

"So good, so good, Remus!" Sirius cried when he let go and they almost shared their climax. Remus pulled Sirius down for another kiss and sighed:

"Never enough of you… never!"

Sirius smiled. It was just the best feeling for him when Remus let himself go completely while they were joined. They were still deeply in love and shared every bit of intimacy they could get.

Their daily routine began by waking the children and sharing a quick shower. Once everyone was dressed they all went down to have breakfast. At eight, Sirius vanished into his study and Neville came in. Hermione arrived only minutes later, a bit shaky still, but she came in whole. Remus gathered the children in their usual place set up in the dining room. The table was an oval where the children were sat on either side, Harry next to Neville, Hermione next to Hannah.

"Good morning, children. Today we can welcome Hermione among us. I hope she will find our kind of school enjoyable and inspiring."

Hermione was still a bit held back, which was understandable. She had got used to regular frontal teaching with a very quiet class. Here she quickly found that all children were more interacting and that Remus integrated them in his teaching, read to them and then discussed with them what they hadn't understood. Little Hannah constantly made some little comments, which were for the most part disregarded by Remus. The two boys snickered quite often though. Hermione didn't know if she should be embarrassed, and had a hard time to hold back.

For their first lesson on this morning Remus had them write the letters they had already learned. He knew that Hermione could already read and write, so he asked her:

"Would you rather like to read or to draw something, Hermione?"

"I would like to draw, Remus," she replied.

"Very well. Come with me, we'll pick what you need…"

Hermione chose watercolours and soon sat happily at the table painting a picture while Remus instructed the three others on the next letters. She spent quite a while looking at her new classmates and painting them on the piece of parchment in front of her.

Remus then went on to teach them some history, some natural history and some maths. Soon it was time to clear the dining room so they could all eat their lunch. Sirius came over and they all found a seat around the table. Hermione still didn't talk very much, but rather listened to what the others talked about. When Remus or Sirius asked her something she did reply. Naturally Hannah, Harry or Neville would have a comment and with time she was coming out of herself a little more.

The children got a little free playing time right after lunch. Then Harry, Neville and Hannah demanded their story time, so Remus invited them to listen to him reading their current book. Hermione didn't know the story, so Remus had the other three tell her what had happened so far. Together they brought Hermione up to speed and she enjoyed to hear her book read to her just like the other three did.

Remus didn't overtax the children in the afternoons. The more difficult and demanding things he taught in the morning. The smallest children going to Hogsmeade Primary had two afternoons off completely, so he welcomed the children's usual friends to play on Gargle Island. They arrived, a very noisy bunch of five little children, all four and five years old, on Hermione's first Tuesday afternoon. Draco, Parvati and Padma were the loudest of the five, with little Luna Lovegood and Susan Bones being the more quiet ones.

All of them stood still on the spot when they noticed a new child among the others. Hermione herself felt a bit exposed again and was not the most open child. But soon she was taken in by her new friends and found herself running around outside, playing tag and hide and seek all over the little island.

The next day Remus brought brooms and told them they could learn how to fly them. Of course that was what Harry and Hannah had been waiting for a long time. They still had their baby brooms, but those wouldn't allow them to go higher than half a metre. The new set consisted of regular brooms, though not the fastest ones. All four were quite excited. Neville was a little shy though and said:

"Remus, do you think that Gran will allow me to fly?"

"If she doesn't she will when she sees how you can do it, don't you think? Until then she doesn't need to know."

Neville grinned. Hermione wasn't sure if this was the right way to go about it, and said so, but Neville just grinned and told her:

"If you knew my Gran, you knew that she has to be presented with the existing facts, which she will accept no problems. Tell her before and she'll panic and say no to everything! Remus knows that very well."

"Oh, I see…"

So they all trouped outside and took their brooms with them. Remus showed them how to call them up to their hands. All four managed to do that, but of course Harry and Hannah were the first who got it done. They were both very keen to learn to fly, which Remus expected, since both of them had a lot of James in them.

"Now, the most important thing is to stay on the island! Therefore you all go slowly when you take off. Taking off is fairly easy, but the harder you kick off, the faster you will fly. That's why I want you to just do a small hop, nothing harder. This way you'll be able to control your broom just fine. Neville, please go first."

Neville held on to his broom and jumped up, getting into the air a bit fast. Remus was after him in no time and pulled him back a little.

"There, that's about the speed you should have. Come down again by pointing your broom downward. Look how I do it…"

Neville looked and followed the example. He got back down to the earth easily. Remus made him kick off again, telling him to jump off at only half his speed from before. This time Neville rose very gently into the air and when Remus told him to level the broom he kept flying just fine. He quickly learned to go left and right and ahead again. But when he got close to the shore of the island Remus was after him again and guided him right back to the house. Together they came back down again. Remus gave Hermione the next spot to lift off. She actually did it quite easily. Since it went slowly, she wasn't so afraid of the height. Harry and Hannah cheered her on like they had already cheered on Neville before.

"May we go up as well now, Papa?" Hannah cried.

"Yep. Come on up, all four of you, we'll fly around for a bit. I want Hannah at the front, then Harry, then Neville and Hermione and I'll be last. You do not go out of the island's boundaries, sweetie!"

It was a pleasure for Remus to watch his goddaughter taking the lead. At only four years of age she was almost as well developed as Harry. She certainly was neither afraid of height nor of speed, but happily led the way in a criss-cross pattern all over the island.

Hermione's parents were very happy with their decision to let their little girl be tutored at the Black-Lupins' house. They had arranged with Remus that Hermione would stay there until her parents were home from their practice, which was usually no later than half past five, and on two evenings it was at seven. On those two evenings Hermione would be allowed to stay longer and eat dinner with the Black-Lupin family. She enjoyed those dinners just as she enjoyed the lunches. Remus had an old-fashioned view on eating habits and wanted the family together for all three meals if he could. Sometimes Sirius missed out, because he was working at the Ministry, but the children got used to regular meal times.

Hermione started with them being a very skinny girl. Neither her mother nor her father were really good cooks and so she had eaten very strangely. As she was a bit on the shy side, she didn't dare complaining about the food she got at Remus' table and soon learned to enjoy Kisty's excellent cooking. She was happy to have a good place to stay while her parents were working in their dental practice. Emma and Dan Granger were happy that she was at a very safe place, learned loads and had fun. For the first time in her young life she also had friends. They were pleased to see her develop solid friendships and become much more sociable. Every night Hermione told them exactly and eagerly what she learned and how she had spent the day.

"I learned to fly on the broom today, mum! I was **so** afraid of the height at first, but then I saw how Hannah did it and I thought I'm almost two years older than her, I can do **that**! And I could!"

Emma also noticed that Hermione seemed to be much more active when she was at Gargle Island. She came home very exhausted, but Emma felt it was a good form of exhaustion, the one her child must have got because she spent some time outside, running with the other children. Carefully she asked Hermione, what else she played with the other children.

"Oh, lots! We play tag and hide and seek! When we play hide and seek we hide all over the island! And Remus said we could do tag also on brooms, so when we get better and catch up to Harry and Hannah we can play tag on our brooms."


	2. Chats with Dumbledore Sirius gets seri

Chapter 2 – Chats with Dumbledore; Sirius Gets Serious

As Time Goes ByChapter 2Chats with Dumbledore; Sirius Gets Serious

**Chapter 2 – Chats with Dumbledore; Sirius Gets Serious**

It took Sirius and his team five years to sieve through the legal body. They had the Wizengamot decide on the individual replacement laws, which then abolished all earlier versions. Every law was set up in a collection with all related laws in the documents available. To make sure they had not actually overlooked anything ancient they worded the modern versions with the paragraph that the law replaced all earlier versions of this particular law.

There were a lot of laws that the team presented to the Wizengamot for complete abolition. Among them were the worst laws discriminating anything from Muggle-borns to Werewolves. In the course of the five years the team worked intensively they had two to three laws per week to vote on by the Wizengamot. Some of them were rejected and had to be reworded, but in the end they were happy that their suggestions led to an updated legal body, which took care of all aspects of modern life.

Sirius had to do a lot of work lobbying for the abolition of some of the werewolf laws. He was luckier from the moment when Fudge had been ousted as the Minister of Magic and replaced with Rufus Scrimgeour, a man who had led the Aurors since Mad-Eye Moody had retired. Sirius knew Rufus quite well and while he was still very much a politician he wasn't afraid to stand behind some very difficult decisions. The only one who was still very strongly working against the modernisation of the laws was one Undersecretary of the Ministry, Dolores Umbridge. Rufus hated her with a passion and started to dig around for anything that could be used against her to fire her. Sirius got the job to investigate her. He did so with pleasure, because she had actually brought a law through the Wizengamot that forbade werewolves to seek employment and anyone to employ werewolves. The result was that throughout the country all werewolves still employed somewhere had to be dismissed.

That was two years ago. Within a year there were about thirty cases of bites and thus thirty new werewolves. Sirius had fought against the law with everything he had, but the Wizengamot had fallen for Umbridge's arguments hook, line and sinker. Sirius had stood before them in his function as a member and had predicted everything that would happen if werewolves were unable to work to support themselves. He had predicted that there would be more new cases. He had demanded that new shelters should at least be built to give werewolves a safe place to transform, but he had fallen on deaf ears. Since it was a very new law the legal team was not allowed to have it replaced.

Now he could nail her down. The thirty new cases in the first year after the law were one thing, but there were twice as many in the following year. Sirius successfully brought a Pensieve memory along with his predictions of what would happen if the law went through. The Wizengamot abolished it immediately. Umbridge slipped up and was so angry she actually aimed at Sirius and hit him with a Crucio right there in the middle of the Wizengamot. Rufus had her arrested on the spot and sent to Azkaban right then and there. As a full meeting of the Wizengamot was assembled he didn't even need a trial, there were at least sixty witnesses of her use of an Unforgivable curse. Sirius recovered quickly, and he was heard later on to say that there probably wasn't ever an Unforgivable that helped the wizarding society more than this one.

He went home fairly happy that night, albeit very sore.

"Remus, love! I have especially good news today. They managed to abolish the law that forbids werewolves to look for paid work! And we got rid of that Umbridge horror."

Remus stood up from the sofa where he had read. He put the book down and felt himself pulled in a tight embrace by his lover. He looked up to Sirius.

"That really is good news. I am so sorry for all those new victims in the past two years."

"I am, too! And I'll have something to do now, because I want to get someone to work for the Registry and Support Service who actually works in the interest of the werewolves, and won't just sit through their time at the office."

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"I do. Perry Prewett. She's done a lot behind the scenes as you know and she'd be perfect for the job."

"And she needs the job, too. Good idea, love."

"I'm going to suggest her to Rufus and I'm pretty sure he'll be open to it. – How's your day been, dear?"

"The usual, more or less. The kids are still outside, Neville asked to stay for dinner and got the okay from Augusta, Hermione stays because Dan and Emma have one of their long days. The Patil twins are still here, too, so we have a pretty full table tonight."

"Great! I love to have the kids around. They're so much fun!"

"They are. I'm really glad that there are so many of them, because they don't regard Harry as something special, they're all capable to see him as just Harry and not the Boy-Who-Lived. I really hate that moniker, almost more than Harry himself does."

As the years had passed they had given Harry and Hannah more and more information about their special situation and position in the magical world. Remus had them instructed in meditation techniques and then worked their first Occlumency lessons. Both and Hermione, who was interested in learning the skill as well, were already able to block mental attacks quite well. Remus had reached the top of what he could do a while ago, so Sirius had asked a colleague from the Ministry, an Auror, to come and teach the children further.

It was now a few days before the end of their fifth year of schooling and the children were already very skilled at the art of shielding their minds. They all had a different system to organise their memories and protect them. Hermione had made herself something like the Gringotts vaults. She had set up security vaults for everything she wanted to protect most, regular vaults for everything less important and simple safes for those things that were unimportant and mundane. Harry had created a building blocks system. Every attempt to attack him was met by new walls, built up brick for brick in front of their eyes. He managed to build multiple walls right behind each other to ward his memories. Hannah just clouded everything. She put up false images of fantasy creatures to hide her real memories. She had an incredible ability to invent things to put in the place of her real memories that there were whole stories to see. She thought it easiest to lull the intruder with stories and to throw them out when they expected it the least.

Besides this skill the children had learned a large amount of things that Muggle children learned in their primary school years. Remus had added magical and Muggle history to his syllabus. He had given them some magical theory as well. And he kept one period every day during which he had the children bombard him with every sort of question they wanted to put. They had picked that up extremely well and came up with some amazing questions. Remus enjoyed these questions immensely. If he knew the answers he was able to give it straight out. Sometimes he didn't know the answers right away, then he took the kids to the Diagon Alley library, where they could look it up together. All four loved those outings, and they deliberately brought forth questions that led to more of them. Naturally Remus had cottoned on quickly to their system, but he himself enjoyed those outings just as much.

Hermione looked forward to the summer holidays. She was allowed to come to Gargle Island every day and only for the few weeks she travelled with her parents did she stay away. In the five years since Remus had taken over her tutoring she had matured far beyond her years. Still she had built up a steady friendship with her three classmates, and Hannah looked up to her as her big sister.

She was far more to Harry than a sister. To him she was his safety net for everything. He trusted no one as much as he trusted Hermione. She was his best friend as well. It rarely happened that she let herself down to play a prank, but if she did Harry had found her to be the most devious of them all. Remus and Sirius had enjoyed many a good laugh. Dan and Emma were most pleased that their shy little girl turned out to be a very mature, intelligent and sharp little lady with a sense of fun as well. Hermione was given to them already quite late in their lives, as Emma had been 37 when she was born. But at 44 Emma had been surprised by another pregnancy, which had given Hermione twin siblings, a boy and a girl. They didn't know for sure yet, whether Edgar and Ophelia, as the two children had been named, had the same magical gift as their big sister, but the two were still a bit small yet. Hermione loved her little siblings well enough, even though she had been a bit put out at the pregnancy of her mum.

Sirius, Remus, Dan and Emma got along so well together that they had taken to go on holidays together, usually somewhere on the sea along the Mediterranean, where the children could amuse themselves on the seaside and where they found enough to suit their cultural needs. So far they had spent vacations together in Italy and twice in France. This year they planned to travel to Portugal. The children looked forward to that already.

Hannah's and Harry's birthdays were celebrated when they were in Portugal and they had a great time exploring their surroundings. The children played along the seashore and enjoyed themselves a lot. They also liked to go on the outings with their parents. Sirius and Remus looked after all five of them sometimes to give Dan and Emma some alone time and then the Grangers did the same for Sirius and Remus.

For three weeks they stayed in their wonderful holiday house. They had Kisty with them who cooked their meals. She found out a lot about the local cuisine and incorporated the new dishes in her repertoire as she had already done on the previous vacations. Dan and Emma were especially delighted to have her around and claimed that it was way better than having to go out to eat!

Upon their return Hermione started to take the twins along to Gargle Island. They were too young to be schooled, but Kisty loved to look after them when Remus didn't have time to have an eye on them. The Grangers found this day-care much better than anything they could have found in their surroundings, and they insisted on paying Remus a fee for his service.

While in class on her eleventh birthday in September an owl delivered Hermione's Hogwarts letter. She jumped from her chair and ran through the house, excited that in the next year her magical adventure would actually start.

Another year went by. Edgar and Ophelia had settled in with the Gargle children crowd and picked up reading and writing early. Both were like tiny replicas of their older sister, with the same quick wit and intelligence.

Dumbledore had stayed in loose contact with Sirius and Remus over the years. He wanted to be sure again and again that Harry was safe. Sirius still thought that the old man kept things back and did not tell him that he had instructed Harry and Hannah in Occlumency. He suspected that at least Dumbledore would try to look into their minds once they started in Hogwarts. Remus and Sirius knew the full text of the prophecy and they were quite sure what it meant. They quite rightly feared that Dumbledore, as much as he actually did like the children, would manipulate Harry and use him as a weapon for the "Greater Good".

In March Dumbledore called Sirius to Hogwarts. Sirius walked through the castle up to the seventh floor, where the entrance to Dumbledore's office was. He gave the password to the Gargoyles and tread on the moving staircase, which delivered him to the front of Dumbledore's office. He knocked and entered.

"Ah, there you are, Sirius. How are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks, Albus. And you?"

"Just splendid, my boy. Can I tempt you with a lemon drop?"

"Only the unlaced ones, please, then yes. But not necessarily, thanks."

"Well, then… I called you here because I have heard word that there were attempts to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Do you know what that is?"

"I think so. Gives you eternal life as well as wealth, doesn't it? How are Perenelle and Nicolas Flamel doing?"

"Still very well, thanks to the Stone. It has been transferred to a Gringotts high security vault, but Nicolas fears that it is still not entirely safe."

"I have yet to hear of a successful break-in at Gringotts, Albus."

"Me too. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wants to have it hidden here at Hogwarts. We have a number of protections we can set up. I want you to have a look at them."

Sirius was shown the ideas for the magical protection of the Stone. Dumbledore was the only one who would know all of them, the individual protectors would only know their own. Sirius nixed them all as being completely unsatisfactory.

"While we're talking, Albus… I would like to send Hannah to Hogwarts together with Harry. She is up to his standard, since she started her basic schooling with him and there is absolutely no difference between their abilities."

"I'll have Minerva send her a letter then. I don't see a problem and I expect a child who has been taught by Remus should be extremely well taught."

"He has so enjoyed his little school I'm sure he's going to miss it badly once the children are at Hogwarts. You know that he has also tutored a Muggle-born girl. She will be one hell of a student, Albus, she's got to be every teacher's delight! Eager to learn and extremely intelligent. She's the undisputed leader of the four children."

"You also had Neville Longbottom there, didn't you?"

"Yes. Very gifted boy, too, if a little bit shy, even after all these years. He's got a lot of Alice in him, at least in his looks, but a fine boy. Easygoing, friendly and loves his fun. He also loves Moony a lot. They all do actually. We've had a steadily growing number of children come to Gargle over the past few years, and it has done Harry and Hannah a lot of good to get to know all these children. They see Harry for himself, not for the Boy-Who-Lived, which is important. He's very much himself. Very much a good mixture of James and Lily, too. To the outside you only see Lily's eyes on him, but in his character he has quite a few of her traits, starting with her temper and ending with her sense of justice. Hannah probably is much more James, in almost everything. A very happy-go-lucky girl. Hermione keeps her on the ground though."

"Do I expect them all in Gryffindor then?"

"I don't know. We haven't influenced them, because they are all very much aware that traitors and murderers can come from any house. But personally I'd love to see them join the Gryffindor bunch, even if only to profit from the wonderful warmth that house gives. I would hate to see one of them having to go down to the Slytherin dungeons, simply because children need light and air to grow up healthy and properly. And the dungeons kill that right from the start. They would obviously love to continue together. And they would probably become a very closed group if we hadn't brought in many other children for them to play with. They are now open enough to build friendships across the houses, too."

"That is certainly good to hear."

Sirius sighed and decided to breach another subject.

"Albus, before Harry and Hannah, but especially Harry, come to Hogwarts I want to know a few facts. What do you know about Voldemort's current spirit form and why does he have it? I understand that he is not a ghost. What is this form?"

"I cannot tell you that, Sirius…"

"Oh yes, you can. You know that I want him out of the way as much as you do and I know the full wording of that prophecy you choose to believe."

"Voldemort believed it, Sirius! He was ready to believe in this prophecy, of which, as you know, he only knows the first half, in an instant. As all dictators, or in his case would-be dictators he was superstitious and lastly not all that sure of himself. A prediction that so clearly warned of his downfall through two possible candidates would have to scare him. And what lay closer than to eliminate the threat before it was old enough to fulfil the prophecy."

"Thus creating the provision to fulfil it indeed. We know all that. What I need to know is why did he not die fully? If you know I want to know, because Harry has a right to know about his destiny – which, to remind you, is forced on him and leaves him absolutely no choice except to emigrate."

"You don't want to destroy his childhood and place such a burden on him, Sirius!"

"I don't. I want to answer his questions, which are bound to come in the foreseeable future, Albus. I do not want to stand there and lie to him when he wants to know the truth, however hard it is. He will not break down, that much I can guarantee. He has the moral fibre to stand up to what is going to be asked of him, and he will know that he has support on his side. You don't expect him to go into a fight with Voldemort all alone, do you, Albus? Even if it has to be Harry to cast the final blow, then it still doesn't mean we can't all help him! So what are you not telling?"

Dumbledore sighed and took a deep breath. He looked a lot older than even his many years now. Sirius noticed the change in the old headmaster's stance immediately.

"I believe it doesn't have to be Harry who has to cast the final blow as you say. But it might be possible that Harry has to die for the last blow to be cast at all."

"**WHAT?**" Sirius roared.

"Sirius, do you know what a Horcrux is?"

Sirius thought for a moment and shook his head.

"I'm pretty sure I've heard the term, but no, I don't know exactly what it is."

"Have a look at the library in Grimmauld Place, Sirius! There is a book that will tell you all about them," Phineas Nigellus, Sirius' great-great-great-grandfather, called from his portrait on the wall.

"Gee, thanks, Phineas. I haven't set one foot into that place since Mother died."

"Well, then go now."

"That's not a bad idea actually, Phineas. If there is a book that can help us with more information than I have, I would love to see it. Sirius, a Horcrux is basically a container for soul pieces. It is an object so dark it has been half forgotten already in the middle ages. To create a Horcrux one must commit cold blooded murder…"

"…and you didn't have to force Voldemort to commit cold blooded murder, did you now?"

"No, you didn't. There's more. I suspect that Voldemort split his soul in a few pieces. I have half an idea what items he used to create his Horcruxes, at least some of them, but I also have the suspicion that he left a part of his soul in Harry when his curse rebounded."

"The scar…" Sirius whispered.

"Yes, the scar. If that is the case – and if we cannot find a way to get the soul piece out of there without harm, it means that Harry will have to die before Voldemort can be killed for good and he would have to die by Voldemort's hand. After finding his other Horcruxes of course. Do you really think you can tell him that? He would not want to live if he knew that!"

"I will go to Grimmauld Place and look for that book. You wouldn't happen to know the title, Phineas?" Sirius said with determination in his voice.

"I only know that it has something like Ancient Rituals in the title. Use the retrieval spell."

"I will. I'll have it here in a while. Can I use your Floo, headmaster?"

"Of course, Sirius."

"I'll be back."

It didn't take Sirius long to locate the book in the old library of the Blacks. He knew that his family's library was one of the most extensive ones in any private household in Britain and he knew that some very rare books were to be found there. Since the property was unplottable it was out of the way of people who could raid it, but Sirius had also taken steps to ward the library especially. Before he took it home he flooed Augusta Longbottom and asked her if she was willing to take the Gargle children to her place for two or three days.

"What are you up to, Sirius?"

"I have to study something really unpleasant and I don't want any of them around when I do that. I will need Remus' expertise, too, which is why I'd like the children to be somewhere else."

"Ah, I understand. Do send them over, please. I hope I can cope with them…"

"They will be on their best behaviour, Augusta, I can guarantee that. They like to show off, all of them."

"Let's hope for the best. That'll be your two and Hermione then?"

"Yes. It's over the weekend anyway, Hermione will go home then."

"Very well."

"Thank you, Augusta."

Sirius saw to it that the children left for the Longbottom home over the weekend. It wasn't the first time they spent a weekend there, so for them it was just a surprise, but no problem. Hermione went with them for the remainder of the Friday and the little ones could stay until she came through to go home with them later on.

Sirius sat down to read the book. It was fat enough and informative enough to keep him busy until Sunday morning. Next to the Horcrux ritual it also contained a good number of other, not all, but mostly dark rituals. He learned how a Horcrux was made and he learned how it could be destroyed. He learned that indirectly, because in fact the text in the book warned that there was a possibility that those Horcruxes could be destroyed and how this could happen.

Remus gasped when he read along with Sirius.

"**Why** do you bring such a text home, Sirius? This is outrageous!"

"It is. It is also what Voldemort has apparently been doing to make himself immortal. I finally got Dumbledore to talk! He served me his suspicion that Voldemort made a few of those and that the scar on Harry's forehead is in fact another one of those dastardly things."

"But… but… if that's true, then… oh, I don't even want to think about the consequences, Sirius."

"Don't panic, love! Look what it says here: if the Horcrux has been placed in a living being it's actually easier to destroy than any other container. All it takes is the Draught of the Living Dead. We all know that this is reversible. You feed him the potion and give it some time and then you feed him the antidote. Both potions are well documented and not very complex to brew."

Remus grabbed the tome and sat down to read. He breathed a huge sigh of relief! Harry was safe!

"That will still leave the others he seems to have made, Sirius. But I'm still very glad, because it takes away Dumbledore's power over Harry."

"It very certainly does, love, his as well as Voldemort's. Anyone who gets hold of one of those Horcruxes can destroy them and in the end it's not Harry's business anymore to kill Voldemort. Which doesn't mean he won't have Voldemort after him. But I do hope we can neutralise those things before he gets any form of power back…"

"Let's go and see Albus straight away, love."

Remus and Sirius went up to Hogwarts and met with Dumbledore. They showed him the text and Albus copied the contents about the destruction of the Horcruxes. Sirius looked up to his ancestor's portrait and said quietly:

"Thanks, Phineas, you really, really helped! There is no need to fear for Harry's life now. – Albus, there is a reason why it's not a good idea to use a living being as a Horcrux. A simple Draught of the Living Dead will flush it out completely. I think to destroy the others won't be as easy."

"No, but we do have all the time still to find them. I would like you to come here and view a few memories about Voldemort's life with me that I have collected over the years, both of you, if you can manage. You can come once the children are here at Hogwarts."

"Would they help us to find the things?" Remus asked.

"I'm sure it would. I have no idea where to start searching though."

"We'll come."

"Tell me, did Harry show some unusual abilities over the years?" Albus asked.

"Just one: he seems to be a Parselmouth," Remus said. "We actually found it quite amusing that he can talk to snakes, we've got a few of them on the island and he's good friends with them. We always keep a few mice for them now."

"Yes, and that would be one power he probably has straight from Voldemort," Dumbledore replied with a sigh.

"We thought so, too, and Harry is aware of it as well. But we still think it's a nice gift. It's something he can help as little as I can help transforming at the full moon and while he also knows that it's considered dark he regards it as a gift rather than a curse. We have told him not to advertise it, but not to particularly hide it either. If someone finds out I think he will be able to cope with any possible fallout."

"Good."

"I do wonder whether he'd lose it once he's been cleansed of the Horcrux," Sirius mused.

"I suppose he will," Albus thought aloud.

"Then there's something we will have to keep to ourselves," Sirius replied. "Otherwise our dear Harry could possibly become very defensive. He loves his snakes."

"I think you can let him enjoy his ability for a while longer, Sirius, there's no hurry to treat him just yet," Dumbledore remarked.

"No, I agree with that. We should really attack those Horcruxes as soon as we can though."

"I actually still had doubts but your book has convinced me that it is Horcruxes we have to deal with," said Dumbledore.

"It does make the most sense. And it would fit Voldemort to work like that. It sounds exactly like the sort of things he'd do. We'll come up to view those memories. It sometimes helps to have a few eyes more," Sirius suggested.

"Good. I didn't want to involve anyone, but now I am very glad I have, Sirius. I know I can trust you two not to talk about it any further."

"You can."

On Monday the little school went on like before. The children didn't ask about Sirius' and Remus' weekend, Harry had actually mentioned to the others that he believed they did it to get some extra 'shagging time'. Remus only laughed when he overheard that.

He looked at Harry a lot since he knew about the thing in Harry's scar. He only talked about 'the thing' when he mentioned it to Sirius. The word alone was bad enough, but if he thought about the actual 'thing' it made his stomach lurch.

When their little school ended in June they all went on their yearly holiday with the Grangers. This year they tried a completely different coast than the years before and travelled to Sweden, where they rented a wonderful little house on one of the many, many lakes in the south of the country. They returned three weeks later, all of them content, happy and rested. The three older children had perfected their swimming abilities. They had seen a fair bit of Schonen, the area in Sweden where they stayed. And naturally Remus had treated them with all the wonderful children's books he knew from Sweden. He had read them the complete Nils Holgersson, and he had told them which of Selma Lagerlöf's stories in the books were actually magic related. And they had seen the Saltkrakan stories on videos they had rented before leaving for Sweden. Hermione, who wanted more, had talked her parents into buying her all Astrid Lindgren books they could find. She happily devoured all these wonderful stories.

Harry grew more and more nervous. He knew that unless one had ones birthday before the end of June the Hogwarts letters would be sent out no later than mid-July. On July 14th there was a collective cry of joy, when an owl brought not one, but two Hogwarts letters. Minerva McGonagall had actually sent out the letter for Hannah as well.

The children danced through the house and around the garden and pulled Hermione into their happy dance as well. Remus and Sirius sat on the patio and laughed about their antics. Tipsy, the border collie, naturally ran all around them, barking and adding to the hubbub.

"When can we go shopping, Sirius?" Harry asked.

"When does the term start, Harry?" Sirius asked back with an innocent demeanour.

"On 1st of September of course!" Harry replied.

"Well, that gives us a lot of time still, doesn't it?"

"He's got you there, Harry," said Hermione.

"Darn!"

"Ask Hermione, whether she's been shopping yet, Harry. I believe she had to wait a lot longer, if you still have to wait for a month or so that won't hurt you, now will it?" Remus asked.

"No," Harry admitted, but he grumbled.

Harry and Hannah really looked forward to their big shopping spree in Diagon Alley. Hermione couldn't wait either, so it was a happy bunch who approached the Leaky Cauldron from the Charing Cross Road side on a beautiful end of August Saturday. Sirius and Remus had asked the Grangers to come there, because they wanted to find out whether the twins would actually see the pub or not. If they did on their own they most probably had the magic.

"Well, we ought to get to the Leaky Cauldron now. Children, first one who spots it gets an extra ball of ice cream!" Sirius said.

Harry, Hannah and Hermione spotted it immediately. Then the twins pointed at the dingy pub. Dan and Emma only saw it when the others pointed it out to them. Sirius and Remus thought their part and winked at each other. Then they led everyone into the pub.

The moment some people in there noticed Sirius and Remus with the children they checked out Harry and Hannah. Tom, the publican, looked straight at them and said:

"My word! Methinks you are Mr. Harry Potter!"

Everyone wanted to have a handshake or a little conversation with Harry. Harry hated the attention, and Sirius as well as Remus guided the children through the pub to the exit quickly. Not before they met one of the Hogwarts professors though.

"Ah, Professor Quirrell. Have you been teaching for a long time, Professor?" Remus asked him.

"N.. no, n.. not really, o… only for a f… few m… months…"

"I see. Good luck then."

"What do you teach, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"D… defence against the d… dark arts," Quirrell answered, "n… not that you w… will n… need it, P… Potter…"

Harry wanted to say something like, how the Professor got the idea he wouldn't need his subject, when Remus said a hasty goodbye and pulled the children to the backyard.

"Well, this is a disappointment," said Emma.

"Just wait," Sirius said with a smile and demonstrated to the children how the passage was to be opened.

Now the Grangers were properly amazed. Hermione had already seen it many times before, of course, when they had been to the library. Even though they had always flooed to the Leaky Cauldron they had had to pass through the gateway.

As soon as the bricks parted ways to make the passage visible, both Grangers gave the expected reaction. Harry and Hermione grinned at their astonishment. Hannah took Emma's hand and said:

"Let me lead you to the past, Emma!"

Sirius and Remus had to laugh. Leave it to Hannah to make a sarcastic comment. She would be able to give Snape a run for his sarcastic money, Sirius thought. They made their way into the alley. Sirius turned to Dan:

"Let's do the financial part first and go to the bank. You'll need to change some of your dosh to magical cash. Expect to spend about 70 Galleons."

"How much would that be in pounds?"

"I'd say about 350. I think it's still about 5 quid per Galleon. And that's mostly because the Goblins there dictate the rate. They can do that because there's no official rate – we're all hidden away after all, aren't we?"

"Now I know from where Hannah has her sarcasm," Emma remarked with a grin.

They all laughed at that and walked through the alley to Gringotts. Remus took it on to guide the Grangers through the process of changing money with the Goblins while Sirius took Harry and Hannah to the Black family vault. Hermione was curious, so she was allowed to join them. When they returned she looked quite green though. Dan and Emma had already concluded their transactions and saw their daughter come out of the door to the cart tracks, looking like she'd vomit in the next moment.

"Whatever happened to you, love?" Emma asked, worried.

"Just the carts… they're going a bit fast and it was a bit much for her," Harry explained.

"A bit of fresh air will do, I think," added Sirius.

At this moment, a man came out of the doors to the cart tracks that greeted Remus and Sirius with a great smile. Hermione, Harry and Hannah looked up and were almost scared of him. The man looked extremely wild with his long, shaggy, black hear and a beard that covered most of his face. His eyes were as black as a beetle, but they smiled right along with his mouth.

"Sirius and Remus! 'ow nice ter meet ye two! – And that must be 'arry an' 'annah! I saw yer two last when ye were still babies! You've grown really nice!"

"Hello Hagrid! We're fitting them for Hogwarts today. Meet also little Hermione Granger, who will start Hogwarts with them as well and her parents, Dan and Emma Granger. Did you already hear that Hannah is allowed to start a year early?"

"Pleased ter meet ye, Madam, Sir! 'annah will come, too? Wow, that's great! I'll take ye from the train, you bunch, so I'll see yer there!"

Hagrid shoved a little package deep into one pocket. Harry, Hermione and Hannah saw a grubby little thing and wondered what it was.

"So what brings you to Gringotts today, Hagrid?" Sirius asked conversionally.

"Ah, tha's worth more 'n me job ter tell ye tha', Sirius! Sorry, it's Hogwarts business. – Where are you all going next?"

"To Madam Malkin's, Hagrid," Remus said. "You know that it always takes a while for those robes."

"Yeah, I know!"

They returned to Diagon Alley and headed to the robes shop.

"It's best to get that out of the way to give Madam Malkin and her team time to finish off the orders. We can pick up all robes when we go back to the Leaky Cauldron later on."

"Very well, let's go there then."

At the robes shop Madam Malkin welcomed them warmly:

"Hello, my dears. Which of you will be fitted for Hogwarts?"

"All three of us, Madam Malkin!" Harry said and pointed at his sister and best friend.

"Now that's a whole lot of you! Well, come over here, there's already a young man getting his first Hogwarts robes; one of you can hop up on the other stool!"

When they looked around they saw Andy and Draco.

"Hey there, Andy! I didn't know you'd come today for your shopping, Draco!"

"Hi Harry, Hermione, Hannah! Auntie was 'in the mood' for shopping, so we went," Draco said with a grin.

"I bet Dora had to give her a little push!" Hermione claimed.

Andy looked a bit sour, but Sirius' and Remus' laughter confirmed that Hermione's assessment was probably right. Andy wasn't one who liked to go shopping and only ventured to the Alley when she absolutely had to. But Draco needed to be fitted, so she didn't get around it this time.

"Do you want to leave Draco to our bunch, Andy?" Sirius asked, while he gave his cousin a hug.

"I'll be fine, thanks, Sirius. But how about meeting at Floreans when we're done?"

All the children found this a brilliant idea of course, and so it was fixed to meet again later on. Draco's fitting was done and while Harry was already getting his robes fitted, Hermione climbed on the footstool. Madam Malkin dropped a robe over her and fitted it with just a few swishes and flicks of her wand. Then Hannah's robes were next and finally they had to get the cloak and the wizard's hat.

"Well, that went reasonably fast! Where next?" Dan asked.

"Well, there's loads on the list still. Let's go to the department store to get the trunks and the instruments they need. Telescopes can be bought there, and their scales as well as the dragon-hide gloves," Remus suggested.

Before they could go on they met Hagrid again. He carried a cage and in it sat a really lovely snowy owl. The children held their breath.

"Thought I migh' give yer a belated birthday present, 'annah, 'arry, and give yer yer familiar to take to 'ogwarts. What do yer think about 'er?"

Harry and Hannah gasped. Hermione did, too, because this was really a beautiful bird. The Grangers looked at her in awe, too.

"Thank you, sir!" said Harry finally and Hannah followed suit.

"Don' call me sir, 'arry, call me Hagrid, everyone does! You too, 'ermione and 'annah! I'd be happy to see you come for a visit at me hut now an' then when you're at Hogwarts."

Their faces brightened. They liked this giant of a man already, who looked so dangerous, but who seemed to be so kind.

"We will, Hagrid, thank you!" said Hannah.

"Well, I've got to go now! Lots ter do at Hogwarts, ye know…"

"Thanks very much, Hagrid, she really is a beauty! If she's as clever as she's beautiful she'll do a lot of good for the kids!" Remus said.

"Ye're very welcome! I've missed them since they were small. Really looking forward to see 'em soon."

Sirius decided that it wasn't a good idea to schlep the owl along all day and therefore apparated home to give her some rest.

"Here, lovely dear, I'm giving you a nice perch. We'll bring lots of good food for you when we come back from the Alley. In the meantime you're free to explore your new home and the island. Kisty will have some water for you and maybe something to bite as well!"

The young owl seemed to understand every word Sirius said, sat down on the perch he conjured for her and nipped his fingers tenderly.

"You're a good one, dear! We'll be home tonight, time to get to know Harry and Hannah better then!"

It was quite an exhausting tour. On the way to buy their last item, the wands, Harry, Hannah and Hermione wanted to visit Quality Quidditch Supplies, where Sirius allowed them to choose something they liked. Hermione picked 'Quidditch through the Ages', Harry wanted some gloves and Hannah found a Holyhead Harpies t-shirt, which she loved. They didn't have her size, but she didn't mind that it was a bit large for her. She hoped to wear it that much longer.

Once Sirius had paid they moved further to enter Mr. Ollivander's shop. They met Draco and Andy again and could just see Draco's new wand bonding with him. He smiled and said:

"Wow, I was almost afraid I wouldn't find one, auntie!"

"Everyone finds a wand, love, for some it just takes longer than for others…" she said soothingly and caressed her nephew.

Andy paid for Draco's wand and said to Sirius:

"We'll wait for you at Florean's, okay? There's a lot of folk out, so we can keep a few seats free."

"Thanks, Andy, that's great! The kids will be glad this shopping trip finds an end! Edgar and Ophelia are really getting tired, I think."

"Would you like me to take them with us already, Mrs Granger? Then they can sit and rest and have their ice cream," Andy offered.

"That's very kind of you, Mrs Tonks. Would you like some ice cream, you two?" Emma asked.

The answer was an unanimous yes. Emma and Dan grinned and said:

"Well, then join Mrs Tonks and Draco, they'll take you with them. We'll come as soon as Hermione, Harry and Hannah have found their wands, okay?"

Andy offered her hands and the twins went along with her and Draco. Ollivander turned to the three children. Hannah went first.

"I can remember every wand I ever sold, Miss Potter! I can remember exactly when your mother and father came to the shop to buy their first wands. But I have to say I only expected your brother to come this year…"

"I'm allowed to start a year early! Uncle Remus taught us both and I've learned the same things as Harry. So Professor Dumbledore allowed me to start Hogwarts together with Harry," Hannah explained.

"Ah, I see! Very well then, let's see where your wand is then, shall we?"

Ollivander had his measuring tapes fly around the child and started thinking.

"Which is your wand hand?"

"The right, sir."

"Very well then. Hm, let's start with this one here, oak and dragon heartstring, rather rigid, excellent for all kinds of wandwork…"

The first wand went back to its box. It took about twenty attempts to find one that suited Hannah. She landed on a holly wand with a phoenix feather.

"Now **that** is really curious!" Ollivander exclaimed.

"What is curious, Mr. Ollivander?" Remus asked.

"As you know I remember every wand I've ever sold and this one comes from a phoenix that gave only one other feather – and the wand I made of it was sold about fifty years ago to a boy named Tom Marvolo Riddle. You will know him better under his name Lord Voldemort. The brother wand to this one caused the scar on your brother's head, Miss Potter!"

"Well, that's just coincidence, isn't it?" asked Hermione, who didn't like things that seemingly couldn't be explained.

"I am sure it is, Miss…?"

"Granger, sir."

"Miss Granger. You seem to be a very down-to-earth young lady, aren't you?"

"I like to think so, sir."

"Very well. Shall we find your wand next?"

"Yes, please! I have been looking forward to that for a long time!"

"I know no wizard or witch by the name of Granger. May I ask if you are a first-generation witch?" Mr. Ollivander inquired.

"I am, sir."

"But you seem to be well informed already?"

"I have been schooled together with Harry and Hannah for the past six years, so yes, I know as much about the magical world as they do."

"Excellent."

Hermione only took ten wands to find hers. It was a birch wand with a dragon heartstring.

"Oh, that is a wonderful wand for Transfiguration, Miss Granger!"

"That doesn't mean I won't be able to get good results in other disciplines, does it?" Hermione asked, worried.

"No, it doesn't. But it will probably mean that you have a special knack for Transfiguration, Miss Granger."

"Ah, that's good then. Thank you, sir!"

Ollivander now turned to Harry and started measuring him up. He then went to his racks and fished out one box, handed the wand inside to Harry and had him try it out.

"Rosewood and phoenix feather, Mr. Potter, give it a little swish, please!"

Harry waved the wand and started to beam. Ollivander had found his wand with his first attempt! It emitted red sparks and Harry was pleased he didn't have to be as patient as the other two. Sirius and Remus paid for his and Hannah's wand, then Emma paid for Hermione's. They packed the boxes in each of their trunks and left the shop to join Andy, Draco and the twins at Florean's ice cream parlour.

When they finally returned to Gargle they were all really drained of energy. The Grangers didn't linger and flooed back to their home in Oxford. Harry and Hannah went to bed right after dinner and without moaning. Getting to know the owl better and deciding on a name for her was pushed to the next morning.

Hermione came in early the next morning. She had sent her parents off to their practice and joined the family for breakfast already. Remus grinned. He guessed that she wanted to meet the new owl again. Harry and Hannah had recovered with a long night of sleep from their outing the day before and were ready to get to know their new familiar as well.

"We ought to find a name," Remus said.

"How about Hedwig?" Harry suggested. He had read about a Hedwig in his History of Magic textbook.

"That sounds very nice, I have to say!"

Hannah liked it, too, so she asked the owl:

"What do you think, would you like to be known as Hedwig?"

A small hoot from the owl told them that yes, she would like to have that name. It was a great experience for the children. Remus taught them how the owl had to be treated, what Hedwig needed and what wouldn't be good for her. They spread over the island and sent her from one to the next, a game that the young owl seemed to enjoy. After two hours of that Remus called them inside and told them to let Hedwig sleep now.

"She is a nocturnal animal after all, so she shouldn't have to do too much during the day or she misses out on her sleep," he explained.

Hedwig gave him a thankful hoot, drank some water from her dish and devoured an owl treat that Hannah offered her.

Two weeks later the big day finally arrived. The Grangers came through the fire to Gargle and together they took a Portkey to Diagon Alley, from where they took taxis to King's Cross. They had half an hour of time left when they pushed their trolleys in the direction of their platform.

"What a strange platform number…" Emma mused.

She had left the twins to her sister for the morning. Under no circumstances did she want to miss her daughter's leaving for her first boarding school.

"Remus and I will take one of you each to guide you through. We'll have to walk right through a solid barrier. But let the children pass through first!" Sirius said.

Harry went first. He wasn't so sure that the barrier wasn't really solid. But as he closed his eyes to not see when he would run into it he went through and noticed he was somewhere else! He opened his eyes and there it was! A brilliant red engine stood right before him, with a long row of brilliant red wagons behind. He waited for the rest of his family to come through. While he turned around he looked around and saw Neville, who was just berated by his formidable grandmother for losing his toad, Trevor, yet again. Harry grinned and went over.

"Hello Neville! Hello, Mrs Longbottom, how are you?"

"Hello Harry! Don't think you can charm me – that never worked for your father either. Or that rascal you call your godfather…"

Harry wasn't afraid of old Mrs Longbottom anymore. He had learned that she was someone who never learned to show feelings. In her youth she was taught to be practical and practical and practical again, all beyond reason was too flimsy to be even mentioned. She still took his proffered hand and said:

"So, are you ready for the first journey to Hogwarts, Harry?"

"Oh yes, I am, Mrs Longbottom. We've waited so long!"

"That's fine."

Hermione and Hannah followed Harry and then Remus brought Mr. Granger and Sirius brought Mrs Granger. They came over and greeted Mrs Longbottom as well. She hadn't met the Grangers before, only their daughter and was introduced by Remus.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs Granger! It is always a pleasure to have your daughter around. She is a great inspiration for Neville."

"Yes, they seem to have become very good friends. I'm so glad that she doesn't have to go off to Hogwarts not knowing anyone at all," Emma said.

"That must be a relief! I'm glad for Neville, too. Without young Mr. Lupin he'd not have met many children of his own age before Hogwarts, now he knows a fair number of them and will be much more at ease. Shall we find them a compartment?"

Sirius and Remus took on the trunks of the four children and found them an empty compartment somewhere in the middle of the train. Harry carried Hedwig's cage and sat it down on one of the seats. They left the train again to say their goodbyes, just as a whole family of red-headed people came through the barrier. Harry noticed four boys two very tall ones and two a bit stockier ones who seemed to be twins. He didn't stop and look after them though, he felt himself embraced by his surrogate father and whispered:

"I'll miss you, daddy!"

"I'll miss you very much, little one! You've given my life so much sense in the past years, and the house will be very empty without you little guys. I love you, Harry, you know that, don't you?"

"I know, daddy. I love you, too."

"Good. Now listen closely, and tell it to the others in your compartment, too. At the sorting it's all about choice. You choose where and what you want to be, so think about it on the trip there, okay?"

"I can choose? I will, daddy, thanks!"

"Great. I count on you to tell Hannah, Neville and Hermione, eh?"

"Of course."

Remus hugged his little goddaughter and though that she wasn't even that little anymore. She kissed him and said:

"Don't cry yourself to sleep because we're gone for a while, papa! We'll be back sooner than you want us there. Now you and daddy have your bed for yourselves alone!"

Remus grinned and thought that this was what one got when one brought up one's children so open-minded. He loved it.

"I love you, my little darling, and I hope you're going to do great and enjoy yourself. I don't need to tell you to listen up and learn all you can, you will do anyway."

"I will."

They got hugs from the Grangers, too, while Sirius and Remus also hugged Hermione. They had probably seen more of her in the past few years than her parents and had become quite close as well. The four children boarded the train together and crossed the path of many of the other children who started school this year. Philip McKinnon, now a second year, showed them around the other second years. They sat down in their compartment after a while. Draco came in and greeted them as well. He had found a seat with some other first years, but wanted to chat for a while.

Then the door opened and one of the red-headed boys Harry had seen on the platform entered.

"Do you have some space left? Everywhere else is full…" he asked.

"Yes, there's room for one more," Hermione offered.

"Thanks. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way."

"Hannah Potter."

"Neville Longbottom," Neville introduced himself.

"Harry Potter, nice to meet you, Ron."

Ron's eyes opened wide when he heard Harry's name. Draco made a face, which drew Ron's attention away from Harry to him.

"Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself.

Ron didn't know what to think of that. He knew the Malfoys were bad news, so he wouldn't have expected to see one of them sit with Harry Potter of all people. He listened to them talking for a while, before he said anything. After a while their conversation came to the houses. Ron asked:

"Where would you like to be?"

"My parents were Gryffindors, and so were my daddy and my papa, I'd like to go there, too, if I'm suited. Daddy told me it's all about choice. If you choose a house, you will go there," Harry explained.

"Really?" Hermione asked. "Interesting concept. I bet not many children know that, and certainly Muggle-borns won't know when they get to Hogwarts first. They'll expect to be put somewhere first. If you know you have a choice it's much easier."

"It's good to know one has a choice," Draco confirmed. "I bet the hat wants to put me to Slytherin, but I don't think I want to go there. All my family's only been there forever, might be nice to make a real difference."

Ron didn't believe his ears. He didn't know that Draco had not been brought up by his parents, so he was rather astonished.

"You mean, you don't want to become a Slytherin? Well, I don't want to either, but I thought all Malfoys were thick in the pureblood thing…"

"You had better not assume, Weasley. I've got enough Slytherin in me, I'm sure, but my head and heart beat differently. I don't buy into the pureblood thing, as you want to call it, but I still don't like people who are self-righteous. So watch it, I might land in Gryffindor."

Harry grinned. He had learned a long time ago that there were more than two sides to every coin and that many a grey shade lay between black and white. To make room for Ron Harry had let Hedwig out of her cage and she now perched on the back of one of their seats. Ron sported a rat as his familiar.

"He was my older brother Percy's, but Percy made prefect this year, so he got an owl and I got him instead. We call him Scabbers."

The rat didn't look like much. It seemed to tremble constantly and was almost bald. It was fairly fat though. Hannah looked at it a bit curious. She gestured to Harry to have a closer look. Later on they went to get something from the food cart and brought back lots of sweets for everyone. Draco said goodbye and left them to return to his own compartment. Harry mouthed to Hannah to go out of the compartment and followed her a moment later. They closed the door and Harry pulled her a bit further away.

"He's all bald, Hannah, I don't think…"

"Remember what Ron said? They have had him for almost ten years, Harry! No common rat would live that long."

"And Ron said he showed no magical abilities at all…" Harry whispered.

"I think we're going to use that mirror for the first time tonight. And not only to tell papa and daddy where we've landed. Let's hope we'll be together, Harry."

"I want to be with you, Hermione and Neville. And I think if we insist we'll be put together in Gryffindor."

"Hermione goes first of us four. I can't wait!"

Before they reached Hogwarts though there was another visitor to their compartment. A boy turned up, flanked by two other boys who looked far older than first years.

"Someone said that Harry Potter was supposed in this compartment. Is that you then?" he asked, pointing at Harry.

"That's me, but there's no need to point. That's considered rather rude," Harry replied.

Hannah and Ron snickered, Hermione and Neville grinned.

"I'm Theodore Nott. These two are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. I'd like to give you a hand around Hogwarts, after all you've been away for so long you won't know who you should socialise with and who you shouldn't touch…"

"Thank you, I know my way around well enough. I don't think any of us will need your assistance. Please leave," Harry said determinedly.

"You will see where it gets you to associate yourself with riffraff like the Weasleys and Mudbloods. You'll only get offed like your parents. Father says they were meddlesome people, too."

"Whether my parents were meddlesome or not is one thing I can't and won't judge, since thanks to people like your father my sister and I never got to know them really. But they died protecting the two of us and that's more than many children get. Only you won't understand, because you think you're something better than everyone else because you happen to have wizarding blood for several generations. We'll see how well you do in your classes, Nott, and if you beat all of us you might prove something. Otherwise you'll just be another example for degeneration like most of you pureblooded idiots. Now out with you or I'll help!"

Neville, Hermione, Hannah and Ron had all stood up and drawn their wands. Harry joined them and seeing that wall of opponents Nott preferred to look for a way out. He wasn't seen anymore until they got to the platform at Hogsmeade.

Hagrid welcomed them all.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere! Firs' years!"

The group of students who were to start at Hogwarts assembled under Hagrid's great lantern. He took them to walk through a part of the forest surrounding Hogwarts and led them up and to the shore of a lake. Sirius and Remus had told them about that lake. At its far end they could see the castle, majestically reaching for the sky with its many towers and turrets. Some of the towers were very big and solid while others looked rickety in the dying light of the sun.

On the shore were a great number of little boats. Hagrid stood still and explained:

"No more 'n four to one boat, get inside, kids!"

Harry, Hannah, Neville and Hermione took one boat together. It seemed to take endlessly long to cross the big lake, but finally they arrived at a landing inside of a grotto. Hagrid waited until they had all got out of the boats. He counted them first and then he asked Neville:

"There's a toad here, is that yours?"

"Yes! He keeps getting away!" Neville said and grabbed his pet.

"Toads are so out of fashion I wouldn't bother to look for it if it got away," Hermione heard Ron whisper to another first year boy, who sniggered.

"Trevor was a gift! Would you turn down a gifted pet only because it was old-fashioned?" she hissed.

"Mind you, I've got Scabbers. Not much better."

Harry and Hannah exchanged a few glances. Hagrid asked them to follow him up to the main entrance of the castle. He knocked on the big door, which was opened by a witch in dark emerald robes, with black hair that sat in a tight bun. She wore square glasses and a wizard's hat sat on her head. Harry whispered to Hermione:

"I don't think I'd want to cross her…"

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. I bet that's McGonagall…"

At that moment Hagrid said:

"The first years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you Hagrid, I'll take them from here."

Hagrid winked at the new students and left them to join the teachers in the Great Hall. Harry and the others followed Professor McGonagall inside, too, but were led to a small chamber on the side of the entrance hall.

"We'll be ready to welcome you to our Sorting Ceremony in a short moment. Please use the time to smarten yourselves a bit up and I'll be right back again."

When she returned she gave them a speech about the Hogwarts houses and finished it off:

"So – let's go over to the Great Hall to see where your home will be for the next seven years!"

In a long line the first years marched into the Great Hall, passed between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables and were stood in another long line along the teachers' table. Harry saw a small stool with an old hat on it at the side. The moment they stood the hat straightened up and a rim like a mouth opened. The hat began to sing a song about the Sorting and the houses.

Once the song was through the sorting began. Harry and his friends applauded when Susan Bones was sorted to Hufflepuff. They applauded along with the house table for everyone they knew. When it was Hermione's turn she stood straight and went to the stool. The hat on her head she thought:

"Hello there, Mr. Hat, or is that Mrs Hat? I've heard a lot about you!"

"Oooh, a precocious one! What a talent… clearly you should go to… or should I rather put you into…"

"If you can't make up your mind and if it's all the same with you, would you mind to let me go to Gryffindor?" Hermione thought, leaving her mind wide open.

"I can see that you already know how to occlude your mind if you need to. Very strong talent, very strong indeed. Gryffindor, eh? Well, I can't say I find any reason not to let you go there, so GRYFFINDOR!"

Hermione quickly thanked the hat before she put it down on the stool again. She winked at Harry and Hannah, then she made her way to the Gryffindor table and found an empty seat at the end of the table nearer the teachers.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, Hermione!" one of the prefects, red-haired, said. Hermione thought that he must be Ron's older brother Percy.

"It's good to be here, thanks!" she replied, but quickly turned her attention back to the sorting.

Before her only two students had been sorted to Gryffindor, Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnegan. She looked at the remaining students in the line. When it was Neville's turn he sat down on the stool with determination, but showed more of it than he actually felt.

"Hmmm… son of two excellent students. You have talent, but it is still deep within you. You will need a lot of encouragement, won't you?"

"I know. I think I'd get it best from my friends like Hermione Granger."

"Gryffindor then, hmmmm… yes, I could imagine you would blossom there, little one. Better than in Hufflepuff, where I would send you if you didn't want Gryffindor. Hmmmm…. Good, I shall grant your wish, the rest is up to you: GRYFFINDOR!"

Neville beamed when he jumped from the stool and had to go back to leave the hat there.

Not long after Neville Draco had to face the hat. It took a while and the hat argued for the old family and old blood, but Draco insisted that he would go anywhere but Slytherin. Finally the hat called:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Everyone in the room was flattened. Draco actually smiled when he left the hat on the stool and went to join his new house table. Susan made some space between herself and Hannah Abbott. Draco looked over to the Gryffindor table and saw that Hermione showed him the thumbs up. He grinned even wider.

At the Slytherin table there was almost uproar. A Malfoy NOT sorted to Slytherin, that had never been seen. The students around the table were convinced that the reason for this failure was to be found in the fact that Draco had been raised by his aunt who was married to a Muggle-born wizard.

The Sorting went on. Padma was sorted to Ravenclaw and sat down at her table, worried where Parvati would go to. Her twin sister didn't follow her to her house, she was sorted to Gryffindor. Hannah and Harry were getting very nervous now.

"PERKS Sally-Anne!" Professor McGonagall called.

Sally-Anne went to Ravenclaw and then…

"POTTER Hannah!"

"Wish me luck, Harry!" Hannah whispered and felt her knees weaken as she walked to the stool.

She put up her shields, sat down and had the hat on her head before she could really say Quidditch.

"Someone who clouds her mind, eh? You need to let go, little one, I need to see at least a little of yourself to sort you…"

"Oh, sorry…"

Hannah dropped her Occlumency and was awarded a complement:

"That is an amazing ability for one so young as you. And you're even a year younger. What say you to Ravenclaw?"

"I'd like to go where my mum and dad were, and my daddy and my papa, please…"

"Courage, eh? You seem to be shy now, but I gather you're a feisty one. A good head on those little shoulders and probably enough courage for two of your size. Well then: GRYFFINDOR!"

Hanna let the hat slip from her head and sprinted over to the table, where Hermione had already left her a space open.

"Hey there, little sister!"

"Hi, big sister! So far we managed! Let's see where Harry goes to now!"

Harry had thought the same. So far, so good. It was all up to himself now. He needed to convince the hat…

"Oh, another good head on very young shoulders. Lots of talent and plenty of courage. But you'd do excellently well in Slytherin…"

"Not Slytherin, please, anything, but not Slytherin!"

"It would help your ambition, you know."

"I don't want ambition! I need my friends!"

"If you say so – then you'd better go to GRYFFINDOR!"


	3. The First Week

**Chapter 3 – The first week**

Harry couldn't have been more relieved. He was a bit sorry that Draco was in another house, but Draco would be together with Susan Bones and Philip McKinnon, so he'd be just as well. He hardly took notice that another boy, Dean Thomas, and then Ron Weasley were also sorted into Gryffindor.

Along the table he heard chanting:

"We got the Potters! We got the Potters! We got the Potters!"

Hannah looked a bit annoyed, but she was very glad her brother had managed to join them all. There were the two stockier Weasley boys, which she now learned were called Fred and George, and they seemed to be very eager to have Harry in their house.

She already knew Parvati Patil and now she also learned to know the fourth Gryffindor girl this year, Lavender Brown. Harry sat on the other side of the table, next to Neville. As soon as the last child in their year was sorted, Harry saw that the old wizard who sat in the middle of the raised table stood up.

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I know that you are all hungry and tired, so I only say a few words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

He sat down and the food showed up on the table. Even though the first years knew that would happen, they were still baffled. They immediately filled their plates and began to eat. Hannah still found time to throw a few glances to the head table. There, nearer to the end on the side of her table sat Hagrid, who noticed her glance, looked up and gave her the thumbs up. In the centre sat Professor Dumbledore. She already knew him from his few visits at Gargle Hall. Next to him sat Professor McGonagall, who, according to Padfoot and Moony was more barking than biting if one got to know her. If not, then it was better to behave and hide well! The tiny wizard she recognised as Professor Flitwick. Both her fathers had spoken very fondly of him and held him in very high regard, as well as Professor Sprout and the school's nurse, Poppy Pomfrey. Hannah turned back to her food.

Harry took up her musings though. He knew that Sirius and Remus had both advised them to keep his mind occluded in front of Dumbledore. When he had asked why he should do that they had just said it was a very good exercise, because Dumbledore had the ugly habit of peering into everyone's mind he could reach. His glance moved further along the row of teachers. From the descriptions of his fathers he recognised Professors Flitwick and Sprout, then the nurse, Poppy Pomfrey. Then he got to the Professor he'd met in Diagon Alley, Professor Quirrell. And right next to Quirrell sat a man who looked more than sombre to Harry.

At the same time Harry began to muster the teacher, the man looked past Quirrell's idiotic turban and seemed to bore his eyes directly into Harry's. A sharp pain shot through Harry's forehead.

"Ouch!" he said, clapping his hand over his scar.

"What is it?" asked Percy near him.

"N… nothing."

Hannah looked across the table and saw Harry holding his scar. She knew very well that that wasn't nothing! She was determined to ask him about it later on when they reached their common room.

"Who's the teacher next to Professor Quirrell, Percy?" Harry asked.

"Oh, you already know Professor Quirrell? The dark one is the one you mean, I presume? That's Professor Snape, Harry. Teaches Potions, but actually doesn't want to. He's been after Quirrell's job for ages. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, knows Snape…"

Again, Harry and Hannah crossed glances across the table. They knew the name, of course, but neither Remus nor Sirius had mentioned he would be at Hogwarts as a teacher.

When at last all food and all the dishes had vanished from the tables, Dumbledore lifted himself from his big chair and waited for the Hall to fall silent.

"As usual I try to keep my announcements very short, but there are a few that are very important. First years, please note that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds and forbidden to all pupils. There is a reason why it's called the Forbidden Forest. A few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. Marauding in there will do no one any good!"

While Dumbledore's eyes flashed a twinkle in the direction of two Weasley boys the four Gargle Island children clearly understood the remark well and grinned right across their faces. Which, in turn, the Weasley twins noticed immediately.

"Mr. Filch has asked me also to remind everyone that no magic should be used between classes and in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

A few students laughed, but their laughter died down quickly.

"He's not serious?" Harry muttered to Percy.

"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere – the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."

Once more glances were exchanged across the table between the four children. But this time, Hermione and Neville were clearly included. Hermione mouthed 'Hagrid' to them all and Harry thought of the grubby little package, which Hagrid had dropped in his coat's pocket. He nodded.

To finish off the night they all sang the school song, everyone to their own little melody. The Hall reverberated of the many different tunes and tempi, to which everyone sang the words that came out of Dumbledore's wand.

The Gryffindor first years were led up to their house by Percy, the fifth year prefect. After the full meal everyone felt they had legs as heavy as lead, and they had to drag themselves up the staircases. The little ones barely registered the talking portraits in the frames along the way and that Percy led them through doorways that were hidden behind sliding panels or hanging tapestries. Up and up they went more staircases, it seemed endless to Hermione, who only wanted to see her bed anymore.

But eventually they arrived in a very long corridor. At the very end of it hung a huge portrait, which showed a very fat lady, dressed in a frilly pink silk dress.

"Password?" she asked in a bored tone.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and it sounded very pompous and important to Hermione.

The portrait swung out, revealing a round hole in the wall. Hermione sighed. She scrambled in with all the other first years. Neville needed a leg up and Harry and Hermione also had to help Hannah a bit. But they found themselves where they wanted to be! And it looked exactly as Remus and Sirius had described it, too! The room was big, but still cosy, full of overstuffed, squashy armchairs and sofas. Some tables were scattered around the room, with upholstered chairs. All the fabrics in the room were red.

"This is the common room. You girls will find your dorms at the top of the staircases to the left and you boys will find yours through that door on the right. The rooms are right at the top of the staircases. You will move down one floor each year."

Most of the children went up immediately. Harry, Hannah, Hermione and Neville just stayed back for a moment to say goodnight.

"Can we meet early tomorrow morning to go to breakfast? I think we have to discuss a few little things," Harry asked.

"Yes, if you boys manage to get up at six!" Hermione teased.

"That will be fine with me. Six thirty here in the common room?"

"Okay! Are you calling daddy and papa?" Hannah wanted to know.

"Will do! Let's go and see those dorms now! Goodnight!"

Harry and Neville climbed up and found that two beds next to each other were still free. Their trunks were already placed in front of them both, so they undressed and put their pyjamas on. During the meal they had already learned a bit something of Dean and Seamus. Dean came from a Muggle family and Seamus' parents were half and half. Harry thought about the other girls. Lavender's parents were also a Muggle and a witch, while Parvati came from an all-magical family. That meant that out of the nine students in his year and his house only three were pure-blood children. Hermione was first generation, Harry and Hannah were second generation, Dean didn't really know because he had grown up in a foster family, Lavender and Seamus were both from a mixed household.

Harry waited for the other boys to close their bed curtains and go to sleep. He nudged Neville and the two climbed into Neville's bed, where Harry cast the silencing charm Remus had taught him a few days before.

"Most important charm you learn early on, for sleeping in a dorm where at least one person will snore is a real pain!" Remus had told him with a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry thought there was something speaking for that charm when he heard the noise Ron made as soon as he was asleep. Neville grinned along with him. Harry pulled out Sirius' two-way mirror and called his daddy's name.

"Sirius Black!"

"Hey, buddy! How did you do?"

"We're fine, daddy, Hannah, Hermione, Neville and I are all in Gryffindor. Draco is in Hufflepuff and he looked really happy. I think he has a crush on Susan…"

Sirius grinned.

"Well done!!! I'm so happy for you guys!"

"But you forgot to mention how many staircases we have to walk up to get there, daddy! It's endless to get up here."

"Yes, well, everything has a downside. Did anything strange happen?"

"Why do you ask? Do you expect something? Because it seems that there is a corridor that has been declared out of bounds. Dumbledore's words were: out of bounds for everyone who does not want to die a painful death."

Sirius sighed. He just nodded and said:

"Don't occupy yourselves too much with it, Harry. It's that dreaded Philosopher's Stone, which Dumbledore is supposed to guard at Hogwarts. I have warned him against it, but he is sure it will be safe."

"Ah, the thing Hagrid got from Gringotts?"

"Yes. This information is, of course, strictly classified, so don't go around talking about it."

"I won't. Just Hannah and Hermione. Do you know of any place where we could talk without being overheard?"

"I do, but unfortunately they're a bit difficult to find. If only I could retrieve the Marauder's Map! It would be dead easy to point them out then. You might ask one of the house-elves in the kitchens. I dare you to find those in the next days. Asking others is allowed if you dare."

Harry and Neville laughed and were quickly ready to respond to that dare. It would be fun to explore this huge castle and Sirius didn't want to tell them much, because he thought it would spoil a lot of their fun.

"Sirius, there was another thing. There's a teacher here, Snape, and he looked at me tonight, straight into my eyes and then I had a huge shot of pain in my scar! And he only looked past Quirrell at me, but it seemed like he really hated me."

"Severus Snape. Watch out for him. I don't know how he teaches, but I have heard rumours from others who left Hogwarts in the past years that he is extremely unfair. – Harry, if he does anything at all to disqualify you or if you feel that he's unfair, collect such incidents and we'll contact first Dumbledore and then the school governors, because he has no right to mistreat you just because you're James Potter's son. The same goes for Hannah, but I'm pretty sure he'll try to single you out."

Harry's heart sank. He knew that potions was an important subject.

"I'll let you know. And then there's something else. Do with it what you want, but Hannah and I thought it very odd. One of our classmates, Ron Weasley, has a pet rat, that's a common garden rat, but it was already a pet for them for about ten years! It looks fairly ugly, almost bald in patches, at least on its head… I don't know why, but both, Hannah and I thought it a strange thing."

Sirius' eyes widened. They had never managed to find Peter Pettigrew and a rat that lived for more than its usual three to four years sounded suspicious indeed. He suggested:

"Harry, you two have a camera; try to take a shot of Ron with his rat. We'll quickly know whether it's him or not. And we'll be able to reveal him, if it is Pettigrew."

"Will do, daddy. I really have to go to sleep now, daddy, I'm really tired."

"That's fine, sweetie, thanks for calling us still. Remus and I are very proud of you all. I'll let Emma and Dan know and you might want to send an owl to your Gran, Neville!"

"I will, Sirius!"

"Goodnight then, and sleep well! Have a great start tomorrow morning!"

"Thanks, daddy. Goodnight to you and papa as well!"

Harry returned to his own bed and cast the silencing charm again. He made sure his alarm-clock was inside of the boundary of the charm and went to sleep as soon as he felt the pillow under his head. But he had a very strange dream of a turban, which looked like Quirrell's, telling him to transfer to Slytherin at once. Harry didn't want to go and the turban grew heavier and heavier. Nott turned up and laughed at him as he struggled with the turban. And then Nott turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold – there was a burst of green light and Harry woke for a moment, shaking and dizzy.

He rolled over and fell asleep again. He didn't remember the dream anymore, but he didn't feel well rested.

He got up on time though and joined Neville quietly in the bathroom, where both went through their morning routine, before they got dressed and added their robes over their usual clothes. Harry didn't bother with his unruly hair, just combed it through and let it go wherever it wanted.

He met Hannah and Hermione in the common room. He asked politely how they had spent their first night in their dorm.

"Great! Such wonderful, cosy beds! I've learned to love four-posters at your house, but these are a category of their own, aren't they?" said Hermione.

"Yeah, they are, I thought so, too. We told Sirius last night, he'll tell your parents where you've landed, Hermione, but if you want to send them a letter, just look for Hedwig."

She held up a letter and grinned. He grinned, too.

"Should have known! Anyway, Sirius told us why the third-floor corridor is off limits, but I can't tell you here where too many walls have ears."

They started on their long journey back down to the Great Hall. On the way Harry told them what Sirius had said about everything except the third-floor thing. Since it was very early they hardly encountered anyone. But just as they puzzled about the tapestry they had to cross, there was a noise behind them. Hermione turned around and saw the Weasley twins coming after them.

"Crikey, you guys are up early!" one of them wheezed.

"Good morning," Hermione said.

"Morning all! We wanted to ask you something…"

"… last night at the feast all four of you grinned widely when Dumbledore mentioned the Forbidden Forest. We were sure it was meant for us, but then you looked like you felt concerned…"

Hermione grinned again. Hannah smiled and said:

"Well, the marauding comment was definitely directed at us. Our dad and our two fathers were infamous as the Marauders, you know."

Fred and George were both speechless! They hadn't expected anything like that.

"You mean, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were relations of yours?"

"Moony, Padfoot and Prongs, yes. Wormtail stopped being their friend when he betrayed my parents. It's his fault they died and it's also his fault I have this," Harry said and pointed at his scar.

"But how do you two know about them?" Hermione asked.

"Since you guys are up so early we can make a tiny detour to an empty classroom and we'll show you something. I'm Fred, by the way, you already know we're Weasleys."

"And I'm George. Come through here!"

Inside the classroom, Fred cast a privacy spell and George unrolled an empty piece of parchment. Harry and Neville looked up and thought about Sirius' comment from the night before. Hermione and Hannah looked with disgust on the grubby parchment.

"This will help you around this castle. We can share it if you want. It's the secret to the success we have. Hardly any teacher ever catches us at our mischief."

"You're putting us on!" exclaimed Hannah.

"You think so? Well, then look at this!" Fred said.

He touched the parchment with his wand and said:

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Lines appeared on the parchment, in green ink, and in curly words, that read:

_Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present: THE MARAUDER'S MAP._

Harry couldn't believe it. Just the night before Sirius had mentioned this very item. Lines showed up on the map and crisscrossed all over the parchment. Hermione gasped, when she recognised names showing up on the map and held her hand on her mouth.

"Yep – it shows all of Hogwarts. What the Marauders could map at least, we found some stuff that isn't on the map. But see here? Gryffindor common room and up here would be your dorm, Harry…"

As they all looked at the dormitory, where three names were still very stationary, namely Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan and Ron Weasley, Harry's breath stuck, but he wasn't the only one with a breathing difficulty.

"Who is this Peter Pettigrew fellow?" asked George.

"**That** would be Wormtail, George. Can I borrow this parchment, please? It belonged to my daddy and papa, they were the ones who actually made it. I hope we can get it back later from them, but right now he needs to come and collect this person," Harry said and pulled out a mirror from his pocket.

"Sirius Black!" he said quietly.

"Harry! Good morning, sweetie, what's up?"

"Remember when you mentioned a Marauder's Map yesterday?"

"Yes, I do. Don't try to find it, it's locked into one of Filch's filing cabinet. _Marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous_ or something."

Fred and George nodded eagerly, when they heard that.

"Too late, daddy, someone's already done the deed," Harry said with a grin.

"No! Really? Who are these talented young ones?"

"Here, Fred and George Weasley. But before I let you talk to them I need to tell you that we've just looked at the parchment and in our dorm the name Peter Pettigrew has shown up. Hannah and I had the right hunch."

Sirius' swearing was so colourful that even Fred and George hardly believed their ears. He told them to sit still and not move away.

"We'll just watch out the rat doesn't go anywhere, dad."

"That's fine, but do it without talking. I bet he'd be capable of escaping again if you even mutter one word. None of you can do the stunning curse, can you?"

"I can," said Fred.

"I can do it, too," said George. "We're third years."

"Okay, then you're allowed to stun him. Is this Ron Weasley your brother?"

"Yes. But what is it with the rat? Scabbers is ages old! He's dead harmless."

"He is an Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew. The man who is responsible for the death of Harry and Hannah's parents. He nearly framed me for his crime."

"Ouch! We'll stun him right now."

It wasn't what the children had expected on their very first day at Hogwarts. They went back up the staircases and to Gryffindor tower. They tiptoed into the dorm and found the rat still sleeping on Ron's bed. Ron had just stood up. Without any further ado Fred stunned the rat. Ron came out of the bath like a fuse and shouted:

"What the heck are you doing with Scabbers? You can't play a prank on him, mum said so!"

"Only that's not a prank, Ron. We're waiting for Harry's dad to come over and then you'll see," George said.

He took the stunned rat and carried it downstairs. They looked at the map again and now the name of Peter Pettigrew showed up in the common room, right next to them.

"You're right! It must be Scabbers!"

They waited for half an hour and then the portrait door opened, and Albus Dumbledore entered the room with Sirius Black and two Aurors behind him.

"Good morning, children. Sirius has told me a very interesting story about a pet rat that is supposed to be an Animagus?" Dumbledore said.

Fred held up the stunned rat. Dumbledore mustered it for a moment, then he turned to Sirius and asked:

"Do you think that's him?"

"He does look like Wormtail, but of course that's a few years ago… we'll have to use the revealing spell. If it really is a rat and not Pettigrew then nothing will happen."

"Go ahead then."

Sirius pointed his wand and a flash of blue-white light flew out of it, hitting and engulfing the rat. Fred dropped it, but it was just as well, as out of the rat, a man shot up and fell right back to the floor, because he was stunned. Both Aurors gasped. Sirius wasn't so surprised, he'd seen this before after all. But he did look very satisfied.

"**That** is undoubtedly Peter Pettigrew. So we finally caught him," he said.

"And we've allowed this piece of dirt to play the faithful pet at our house!" George shouted, disgusted.

This brought Percy on the plan, who stopped short, when he recognised the strangers in the tower. But then he noticed Dumbledore with them.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked pompously.

"That, dear perfect prefect brother of ours, was once your pet, Scabbers. Turns out there's a criminal on the run hiding behind the innocent façade…" George said maliciously.

"What?" Percy didn't believe one word.

"Yes, unfortunately that's true. You have been used for ten years by this man to keep him hidden," Sirius explained.

Percy sat down, flabbergasted. Ron came storming down the stairs, angry that the twins had run off with his pet. He cried:

"Where's Scabbers?"

Percy pointed to the stunned man.

"Apparently that is Scabbers, Ron," he said.

"What?"

Once again they had to explain quickly. Sirius stepped up to Ron and asked him softly:

"Since I am responsible for the loss of your pet, would you like me to offer you another one, Ron?"

Ron looked up. He wasn't too attached to the rat yet, so the prospect of getting another pet sounded quite nice.

"Please? But maybe not a rat…"

"What would you like then? A cat or an owl? I know that toads aren't exactly popular these days."

Ron's eyes lit up. He would have loved an owl of his own.

"May I have an owl, sir?"

"You may. I'll see to it that you get a nice little owl, okay?"

"Thank you, sir!"

Dumbledore watched as the Aurors took Pettigrew out of the common room. He followed them out of the common room. Sirius quickly smiled at Harry and Hannah and wished them a good start.

"You'd better be off if you want to have enough time for your breakfast, dears! You have proven an excellent sense of detection, both of you! Well done, Harry and Hannah! He won't be running free any longer."

"Thanks, daddy!" Hannah said.

Ron followed them out of the common room to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The twins also went with them and asked Sirius:

"Sir, may we ask you something?"

"Of course, boys! Congratulations, by the way, for tricking Filch!"

"Which of the Marauders are you?"

Sirius laughed, quickly transformed into the dog and when he came back he said:

"Padfoot! At your service!"

Fred and George beamed. The Marauders were their heroes and they hoped to have at least as good a reputation when they left Hogwarts.

"We know now that Wormtail was Pettigrew, but who are the other two?"

"Prongs was James Potter, Harry and Hannah's dad. Moony is Remus Lupin, my life partner. We have brought Harry and Hannah up so far."

"Weren't they in Canada for the first few years?"

"That was a ruse so the press would leave them alone. They were actually with Remus and me. But now I have to go, the headmaster is already getting a bit impatient. I suppose he wants some answers. Let me quickly make you a copy of this…"

Sirius used a very complicated duplication spell, gave the boys the copy and took the original Marauder's Map along.

"This should work just as well!" he said with a little wink and turned to follow Dumbledore to his office.

Harry grinned.

"Great, now there are two of them around. I bet Sirius will give me the other one back."

"Until then we can always share this one here…" Fred said with a grin.

They all sat down at the Gryffindor table to enjoy a good breakfast. They received their time-tables and studied them. George threw a glance at them and explained to them how to find the classrooms. He also told them to watch out for Filch, whom all children absolutely hated. The only one they hated more, if that was even possible, was Mrs Norris, Filch's old fleabag of a cat.

"No one knows the secret passages as well as Filch does. Well, maybe we do as well, because we've found most of them."

"How does one get to the kitchens?" Hannah asked.

"Easy!" said Fred. "You just go down the corridor in the direction of the Hufflepuff house and at some point a staircase goes down to the left. Follow that until you get to a painting with a huge plate of fruit. Tickle the pear on it and a door will show. That's the entrance to the kitchens. The house-elves are fantastic! They're always friendly and helpful and if you're kind to them they'll do everything for you. They just follow orders when you're not kind, but be nice to them and note the difference! We're always polite and friendly, and they do everything for us. They are our best helpers for some pranks we've played."

"Remus and Sirius said they had helped them, too. I don't really like it that they are slaves, but it seems like they don't even want to be freed! I know our Kisty would rather be killed than set free."

While they started to eat, Hermione remarked:

"I can't believe that we already had an adventure before we even had the first class!"

Hannah grinned and looked at her time-table, then she screeched:

"Which is Herbology, by the way, and we have to go out to Greenhouse One. We still have to run up to get our books! Eat faster, guys!"

They had to run down the many staircases, out of the main entrance door and to the greenhouse to reach it in time. Parvati and Lavender, who had left just a bit before them, reached the greenhouse at the same time. Dean, Ron and Seamus were all too late. Some Hufflepuffs were late as well. Draco was already there and grinned at the Gargle crowd.

"Hi! Did you sleep well?"

"Great, and you?" Hannah asked back.

"Just fine. It's nice and peaceful in the Hufflepuff house. Couldn't have got into a better house. I have four other boys in the dorm, but the nicest seem to be Justin and Ernie. There's one boy, Zacharias Smith, who thinks it's an honour for Hufflepuff to have a Malfoy. I just rolled my eyes when I heard him say that," Draco told them quickly, before the dumpy little witch, who was their professor, started the lesson.

Her name was Professor Pomona Sprout, and she made a cheerful and easygoing impression. Her teaching method reminded Harry, Hermione, Hannah and Neville of Remus' way of instructing them. They loved the fact that they were allowed to talk to each other while they worked on the plants. As long as they paid attention to the actual teaching, Professor Sprout didn't mind that a bit. They worked in pairs, Neville joined Hannah, Harry and Hermione worked together. On the next table over Draco had paired up with Susan Bones. On the next table over Draco had paired up with Susan Bones. After the lesson she greeted the Gargle children and they also greeted her friend Hannah Abbott.

The morning continued with a Charms lesson, which they shared with the Ravenclaws. Professor Flitwick probably surpassed even Professor Sprout's cheerfulness and they all found him adorable. He was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. He took the register at the start of the lesson and when he reached Harry's name he squeaked excitedly and toppled out of sight. But once he started his lesson for good they quickly learned that he was a no-nonsense teacher who would be demanding enough in his subject. Upon leaving the class, Hannah remarked:

"You know, that was quite a bit of homework he gave us, but I'm sure I'll love doing homework for him, he's a love, isn't he?"

"I agree. Looks like Remus is very much a good mixture of him and Professor Sprout, don't you think?" Hermione confirmed.

"Yes, you're actually right! We'll have to ask him whether he modelled his teaching after them," Harry said.

The most boring lesson was definitely History of Magic. It was taught by the only ghost on the teaching staff and he sounded like a ghost when he droned on about the goblin uprisings of 1213 and 1471. It was fairly easy to mix up dates and names like Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball.

It was time for lunch and even Hermione said:

"Now I know why Remus kept teaching us History! How much more interesting was that with him? This Professor Binns is going to make everyone hate it. Even I almost fell asleep."

"Ron did! I've heard him snoring," Neville said.

"Yeah, but he wasn't the only one. I think nearly every Slytherin was sleeping and the Hufflepuffs weren't much better. Dean definitely drooled on his parchment."

"We probably expected too much," Hannah mused.

"We certainly did. That's because we've had an excellent teacher," Hermione commented dryly.

They ladled food on their plates and started to eat. While they ate they continued to talk about the lessons in the morning. Ron sat close to them and moaned:

"Do you have to spoil the good food with conversations about the lessons? I for one have enough of them while they last!"

"You're welcome to sit further away if it disturbs you, Ron, we've been here before you came. You're equally welcome to take part, you know," Harry replied

"Papa would be so proud of you now," Hannah remarked with a twinkle.

Neville and Hermione laughed. They were willing and ready to change the subject, not only to please Ron. But Ron remained to be rather unpleasant. When he saw Draco pass by he said to Dean:

"I can't believe that this git got himself landed in Hufflepuff! A Malfoy in Hufflepuff, can you believe it? My dad says his parents are still in Azkaban…"

"And?" Hannah asked aggressively.

"Well, you can imagine how he'll turn out with parents in Azkaban. They were big with You-Know-Who, you know."

"No, I don't know, who is You-Know-Who?"

Knowing full well how most wizarding folk in Britain never said the name Voldemort out loud she repeated the question and saw how Ron's face turned red and redder. Then she said:

"Oh, you mean VOLDEMORT? Well, they were, but that's hardly Draco's fault, now is it? After all he was just a year old when they got thrown into prison. It was my dad, by the way, who nailed them down. If he hadn't worked as he did they would have gotten off claiming they were under Imperius."

"What's Imperius?" asked Parvati, while Ron snapped for air next to her and sputtered about Hannah speaking out the "name".

"An Unforgivable curse. There are three of them. Imperius is the one that puts other people under complete control of the caster of the curse. The victim can't help doing what the caster wants. Not that the Malfoys needed to be forced to join Voldemort. Daddy knows them well enough, Mrs Malfoy is one of his cousins," explained Hannah.

It was at that moment that she and her Gargle school friends noticed how much more they had learned than their classmates. Neither Remus nor Sirius thought anything much of hiding realities from the children. They thought if they spared the children any knowledge about the realities in the world, then their parents would have died for nothing. So they had always talked about politics at the table and when the children started to ask questions these questions were answered. Hannah, Harry, Neville and Hermione always knew how to keep facts from fiction. There was a time for both, but Remus didn't think much of mixing the two.

"Would you stop saying the name? Say You-Know-Who!" Ron almost screeched.

"No, Ron, I won't. Being afraid of the name only gives him more power and makes you even more afraid. Lord Voldemort is a powerful wizard, but he has that power because the wizards and witches in Britain allowed him to have it. Remus and Sirius have always used his name, which isn't even his real name, he had to fabricate himself a title," said Hermione determinedly.

"She's right, Ron. There's nothing wrong in saying his name, you know? What do you fear anyway, that Voldemort will come back and kill you?" Harry added. "What kind of a Gryffindor are you anyway? We're supposed to have courage!"

From his place at the teachers' table Dumbledore had overheard the entire conversation. These children didn't know what caused the fear of saying Lord Voldemort's name. He remembered when the name was jinxed, when everyone who actually said it aloud had to expect a Death Eater apparating in and torturing or killing him or her. It had scared most witches and wizards to death. Many Aurors and some daring people like Sirius, Remus, James and Lily Potter didn't have any scruples saying the name and deliberately waiting for an attack. They were ready to reply such attacks and had caught quite a few of the Death Eaters this way.

Dumbledore tried to reach Harry's mind, but found himself immediately blocked. Harry turned his head to Dumbledore and stared at him, obviously furious. Dumbledore was shocked. Was this child a natural Occlumens? He tried to reach Hannah, then Neville, then Hermione, but all four of them coldly left him standing in the rain. To his annoyance he learned that obviously Remus had taught the children to be armed.

Before Harry went to his afternoon class, double Transfiguration, he called Remus on the mirror.

"Harry! That's already the second time today, what's going on?" Remus asked, worried.

"Nothing much. But at lunch, Professor Dumbledore tried to use Legilimency on me, and when he couldn't get in my head he tried Hannah, Neville and Hermione! I thought you would want to know. I'm sure he now knows that we learned Occlumency."

Remus sighed. He had expected it, which was why he wanted his children armed. Their abilities had been educated from day one at their school, and after six years they were all four routined in keeping their mental shields in place.

"Well, he's probably learned now that there's no entering you against your will."

"He didn't look very pleased about that, papa. Why would he want to check out my memories?"

"It would take too long to explain that here, Harry. Can I book the question for the Christmas vacation? We'll have time for a nice long talk about these things then."

"Okay, papa. I have to go now! We have Transfiguration now. Bye!"

"Bye, sweetie, have fun!"

Harry ran off and found the others in the corridor where the Transfiguration classroom was. Professor McGonagall let them inside and greeted them. They were together with the Hufflepuffs again. Harry had been quite right when he thought that this professor was not one to cross. She was even more no-nonsense than Professor Flitwick and gave them a stern talking-to as soon as they had sat down.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn here at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

Harry was aware of that. It was Sirius' favourite subject and he loved to transfigure anything that got under his wand. Sirius kept saying the most important ingredient for good transfiguration was a healthy portion of imagination paired with a good sense of logic. When they were given the lecture and the job to transfigure a match into a needle Harry remembered that and found it quite true. He knew that he did have the healthy portion of imagination, so he probably lacked the logic part. Hermione on the other hand sat there at the end of the table with a smug face and a nearly perfect needle in front of her. Professor McGonagall gave her one of her rare smiles and awarded her a point for Gryffindor.

They were all fascinated when they climbed the Astronomy Tower on Wednesday at midnight to be taught about the stars. Professor Sinistra taught them the subject and she made it interesting and fun.

All first years were waiting for their first lesson in Defence against the Dark Arts, but it turned out to be a bit of a joke. Professor Quirrell seemed to be afraid to utter even a word about his subjects and stuttered through the lesson, all the while smelling funny from under his turban. At dinner the Weasley twins told Harry and Hermione that they thought it was filled with garlic, like his classroom, because he was afraid of a vampire he had encountered in Romania.

"Well, he's a bit of a joke, really," Hermione claimed.

"Yeah, we know he is. But he makes the subject an easy one," Fred replied with a grin.

"That won't exactly teach you how to defend yourself though."

"Personally I don't think you can actually learn that here. You'll have to do that work yourself," said George wisely.

"But it would be so much easier to learn that in class. We could learn from each other," Hermione insisted.

"Afraid, that's not going to happen with this teacher."

On Friday morning at breakfast Harry saw Hedwig flying down and carrying a letter for him. He opened it and deciphered the scrawl that invited him and his friends over for tea at Hagrid's hut down in the grounds. They had a free afternoon on Friday, so Harry dutifully sent Hedwig back with a note that he, Hannah, Hermione and Neville would come down to him in the afternoon.

It was lucky that they had the afternoon tea at Hagrid's to look forward to, because in the morning they had their first Potions lesson in the dungeons with Professor Snape. Hermione looked closer at the time-table and groaned:

"Oh no! We not only have DOUBLE-Potions, but guess with whom?"

"The Slytherins," Hannah guessed.

"Yup."

"And Snape is known to be very biased. He is head of their house and will favour the Slytherins at all times," Fred Weasley offered his wisdom.

"Why is that no surprise?" Harry asked.

"Because it's Snape," Hannah guessed.

Hannah and Harry had heard a few stories about the infamous Severus Snape over the years. They knew that their father and Snape had not exactly seen eye to eye, that James had saved Snape's life at one point and under what circumstances that had come to pass. They also knew that their father had been a bit of a bully before finally growing up and out of it.

It was therefore with a good amount of trepidation that the two children entered the dungeon classroom for the first time. By the end of the lesson Harry knew that Professor Snape didn't dislike him, he hated him.

Snape took the register, and like Flitwick, he paused at Hannah's and then at Harry's names.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Hannah and Harry Potter, our new – celebrities. 'Special' permit for the girl to start here early. We'll see if she's really up to it."

Theodore Nott and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape went on with the names. His eyes bore into each child as they answered his call. They were black like Hagrid's, but there was none of the warmth like Hagrid's in them. They were cold and empty and made Hermione think of dark tunnels.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He didn't need to speak louder than in a whisper to have the attention of the class.

His little speech ended with the offer to teach them to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death, but that he believed they were all dunderheads anyway. The class was silent and watched every move the teacher made.

"Potter!" he said suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

There was no reply, until Hannah asked:

"Sorry, sir, but WHICH Potter did you ask this question?"

Apparently this was not the right thing to say, because he immediately attacked her:

"Your obviously incompetent brother! I do have the habit of calling girls 'Miss'."

"I didn't reply because I didn't know either, sir. I know I've heard of infusions of wormwood, but I'm sorry I don't know what you get when you add asphodel. I am quite inclined to believe it is not first year syllabus though. What do I get?" Harry replied.

In the next moment he felt an attack on his mind so strong his shields almost faltered. But he managed to build up his wall fast enough, which angered Snape even more.

"Fame clearly isn't everything."

Snape ignored Hermione's hand.

"Let's try that again, Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"That I know, sir. In the stomach of a goat. It is said to aid against most poisons. There is even a species of goats named bezoar goats. As far as I remember they are found on Crete."

The singling out and questioning went on:

"What's the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"None, as those are the same plants, sir. They're also much liked as garden flowers under the name of aconite."

Snape didn't know what made him more furious, that Harry had replied to two of his three questions with the correct answer or that he had blocked his mental probing easily. But the worst was probably that he hadn't managed to sow fear into the child. Even though the answers had been given with a polite tone, Snape thought that the little Potters had come to Hogwarts with the same arrogance he had attributed to their biological father. He was furious that Harry knew what answers to give and that he had given them, even the one he didn't know, with self-esteem and aplomb made it only worse.

"Asphodel and wormwood are the main ingredients to a sleeping potion so strong it is known as the Draught of the Living Dead," he snapped, rushing back to the front of the class. "Ten points will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter!"

"Excuse me, sir, but what cheek? Harry has been perfectly polite," Hermione dared to intervene.

"There will be no criticising of my decisions in this class, Miss Granger! Another five points from Gryffindor for your interference!"

Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors during the remainder of the class. He paired them up and ordered them to brew a simple potion to cure boils. While he swept around and criticised almost everyone except Theodore Nott, whom he seemed to like, Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus' cauldron down and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in peoples' shoes. Within seconds, the whole class stood on their chairs, while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with on wave of his wand.

"Take him up to the hospital wing," he spat at Seamus.

Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who worked next to Seamus and Neville.

"You – Potter! Why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost Gryffindor!"

This was so unfair, Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.

"Don't push it," he muttered. "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."

"But I can't let him do that! I'll complain to Professor McGonagall about it," Harry said, when they left the classroom.

"This wasn't only biased for the Slytherins, this was completely incompetent teaching," said Hermione, indignant not only about the point loss. "He didn't even show us the techniques to prepare those ingredients! He didn't even explain the individual ingredients, just told us to do this. It's no wonder Neville has got it wrong. He's no idiot; he just didn't know how to treat those things."

"Cheer up," said Ron from behind. "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. – Can I come and meet Hagrid with you guys?"

They made their way across the grounds in time to be at Hagrid's hut. When he let them inside he had to hold back his enormous boarhound by its collar. It only took two minutes for Fang to start licking the children's ears and hands. He was clearly not quite as fierce as he looked.

"This is Ron," Harry said, pointing at the Weasley boy.

"Ah, another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid. "I spend half me life to chase yer twin brothers away from the Forest."

The children didn't particularly take to Hagrid's rock cakes, but they happily told him about their first week of classes. Harry and Hannah weren't the only ones who were glad that Hagrid called Filch that 'old git'.

Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.

"But he really hates me – because of dad. I'm sure he really hates Hannah, too, but he singled me out."

"That was only because you look like dad and because you're the Boy-Who-Lived, not I," Hannah threw in. "But other than that I agree with Harry, Hagrid, that was a deliberate attack!"

"Oh, ye know about that?" Hagrid asked.

"Yeah, we do. Daddy and papa don't keep secrets from us unless they have to. We know they went to school together and didn't like each other," Harry said.

While he talked with Hagrid, Hannah and Hermione saw a cutting from the Daily Prophet:

"Gringotts Break-In Latest

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 14th August, widely believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

'But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you,' said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

That wasn't news for Hermione and Hannah, but it confirmed that the Philosopher's Stone was now stored in Hogwarts and that it was in the third-floor corridor to the right.

In the evening, Harry approached his head of house, Professor McGonagall.

"Might I speak with you, Professor?" he asked politely.

"Of course, Potter, meet me at half past seven at my office, please," she answered.

When Harry arrived at her office with Hannah, Hermione and Neville, who had been able to leave the hospital wing, Minerva McGonagall wondered what this would be about.

"Come in, children," she invited them kindly and offered them biscuits out of a tin. "What brings you to me?"

"We would like to file a complaint, Madam," Hermione said. They had decided she should be the one to speak.

"A complaint? Against what, if I may ask."

"Against Professor Snape. We have had our first lesson with him today and he tore right into Harry, asking him questions that are way above first year syllabus and when Harry answered two of those three questions correctly he deducted ten points from Gryffindor."

McGonagall's mouth was drawn to a line. She stood up, picked up a form and said:

"I accept your complaint. I must warn you though, that you are not the first ones to hand in a complaint, until now Professor Dumbledore has blocked any and all such complaints."

"Well, that's not all that happened. He ordered us to brew a potion, but he never explained how we should treat the ingredients, nor what their properties were and how they were used in potions. Neville hat to go to the hospital wing when his cauldron melted down and he was drenched in the potion," Hermione continued.

McGonagall noted the details and Harry spoke up for the first time.

"When I answered one of Professor Snape's questions he attacked me with Legilimency, Madam."

"**What**? – How do you know that?"

"Our papa expected that there could be mental attacks on me, so he taught us all in Occlumency. When he couldn't teach us anymore, daddy brought someone from the Ministry, who did the rest. When I have to build up my shield I know that I've been attacked, and it's almost like second nature. Professor Snape does it so brutally it's given me a headache!" Harry explained.

Also this information was noted down. McGonagall sighed, then she said:

"You might have to testify about that, if this is taken on. It is a heavy accusation you're making there, Potter, the use of Legilimency on others without their permission is strictly forbidden, so yours is a heavy charge, Potter."

"How would I have to testify, Professor?" Harry asked.

"To be sure the interrogators would probably ask for a Pensieve memory. And to assure that's not been tampered with they might ask for the use of Veritaserum. Which can't normally be used on minors like you, your guardians would have to consent."

"Can you even alter your memories?" Hermione asked.

"Not normally. You might be able to cloud them, but if it's in your own interest to have a proper memory scanned then you wouldn't do that by default. I'm not sure, but if memory serves me right there is a spell that allows the extraction of memories from the subconscious."

Harry understood and lightened up. He would be ready to let them take that memory.

"Did Remus mention any reason why he suspected mental attacks on you, Harry?" McGonagall asked.

"I know about a lot of things, of which papa and daddy think Professor Dumbledore wanted me not to know, but they give me a lot more credit, so they needed to help me to be able to protect those things. And they were more thinking about Professor Dumbledore actually, to try and probe around my brain and to find out exactly what they have told me. They were right as he's already tried to reach my mind."

McGonagall gasped.

"But in the back of their minds they might have thought it might help me when I had to face Professor Snape. I know they have not exactly been friends," Harry added.

Now she snorted.

"That's putting it very, very mildly. I am not sure who instigated it all, but especially your father and Severus Snape hated each other with a passion. And there is certainly no love lost between Severus and Sirius."

"And I bet he hates papa because papa is a werewolf," Hannah said.

"He does. I remember that he wouldn't let go and for six years tried to find out what Remus' secret was. He really followed them everywhere and I have to admit that more often than not I fully understood why they hated him so much. I did take their side more than once. But now I'll have to pass this to Albus first. He will block it and turn the complaint down, I suppose, like he's turned down every single complaint about Severus in the past ten years. How should we proceed then?"

"First we put daddy up to it…" said Hannah.

"And if that doesn't help we will ask daddy to inform the WEA and the school governors," said Harry.

"Very well. I shall see how he reacts on this."

But before McGonagall could even pass on the complaint, Harry was called to Dumbledore. He sighed and said:

"Well, I'd better face the music."

"We'll face it with you, Harry," said Hermione.

"Yes, I'm with Hermione on this. No way, we let you face that alone, dear brother."

"Thanks, guys!"

They went to the place they were shown and gave the password to get in. Once the moving staircase had delivered them on the top floor they entered. Dumbledore looked up surprised, but couldn't help that Harry had brought the two girls and Neville.

Dumbledore was a firm believer in the greater good. He was always ready to sacrifice an individual for the good of the community if it needed to be done. In his eyes Harry needed to be kept apart from everything and possibly also a little miserable, so that Dumbledore's sweet nature was accepted by the boy and he could manipulate the child to fulfil its destiny: which was to die for the good of everyone else. If Dumbledore had got his wish he would have separated Harry completely from any friends at the Dursleys. He was aware that the boy's treatment would probably have been a harsh one, but wouldn't he have been the more receptive for Dumbledore's goodness? As it was this young wizard and his entourage would be a formidable opponent when time came.

"Come in, sit down, please."

They took a seat. Immediately Harry felt a soft probing on his defences and built up his walls almost by instinct. He never let the headmaster stare directly into his eyes and the attack was abandoned immediately.

"Sadly I have had a complaint about your behaviour in class today, Harry."

"That's Mr. Potter to you, sir," said Harry. "And I bet it was one Professor Snape who complained."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. Yes, that is right. I would like to hear your side of the story."

"MY side is that as soon as I had sat down in this classroom I was singled out because of my status, ridiculed and asked questions that went quite over anything a first year should have known – nota bene before he even started school."

"And when Harry answered two out of three questions perfectly correct he received a point deduction from Gryffindor for his 'cheek'. When I tried to mediate I was given another reduction for my 'interference'. Harry has been perfectly polite through this. Then we were set to brew a potion with not the slightest bit of information about ingredients and their treatment or the potion on the whole. When Neville made a mistake and had an accident that sent him to the hospital wing 'Professor' Snape rounded on Harry for trying to make Neville look bad so he would look better!" Hermione said.

"And what's worse is that he tried to ridicule and single Harry out. He pushed him with his provocations and only waited for Harry to slip up and talk back. As Hermione said, throughout the whole encounter Harry stayed perfectly polite," added Hannah.

"And finally he had the nerve to attack me with Legilimency, too. Had I not been prepared and built up my mental barrier he would have sent me to the hospital wing, too, with this attack," Harry whispered.

"Very well. I shall further investigate this confrontation. You may go."

When McGonagall filed the complaint from Harry's side to Dumbledore he knew that he couldn't just sit this one out like all the others before. He tried to catch Minerva by saying:

"But I've spoken to Harry yesterday and he said nothing about this complaint!"

"He would have been ill advised to do so before it was filed, Albus. It's time you do something and either get rid of Snape altogether or get him to toe the line…"

"Minerva, you know he's here for…"

"… his own protection, bla bla bla – when will you finally learn that he doesn't need that protection anymore? He's a big boy, Albus, and he's thoroughly unhappy teaching here anyway. Why do you keep forcing him down the throat of the students? I won't drop the complaint this time. And not only because it came from Harry, but to me it's just the drop that lets the barrel run over! You won't be laughing the last once Sirius hears of this. The moment he takes it on to the school governors I'll bring forth all the complaints I already had, which haven't been followed and Snape is a goner."

Minerva stormed out of Albus' office and slammed the door. Fawkes jumped a little and sent an irritated trill, not after Minerva, but at Dumbledore. And then he flashed out of the office in a huff. At that moment Dumbledore knew he was in trouble. He thought about the hogwash Snape had told him about that lesson earlier on. He had expected altercations, but he hadn't expected Snape to act this immature.

The very next day he had a very irate Sirius Black stepping into his office. What was worse was that Sirius was talking in an icy cold, low voice when he approached the affair, which already started to give Dumbledore headaches.

"Albus, this is to inform you that I have filed Harry's complaint with the WEA and the school governors. I will not stand aside to let Snape throw all of his frustrations on my children; they have done nothing to earn such a treatment. If your pet Death Eater can't behave he'll be sacked. I cannot believe that you're filling my head with your sweet-talking rubbish about sacrificing Harry for the greater good, but you have no scruples to have three quarters of your students suffer under the miserable work of one teacher! When it comes to Snape your sense of the greater good seems to vanish completely. Either you tell me exactly why that is or I'll have him chased out of here by next week."

"That's entirely confidential between Severus and me, Sirius, and you know that. He's here for his protection. He has served the Light side more than you will ever know."

"Rubbish. He's served only one master and that's Severus Snape himself. He'll dump you in a moment if Voldemort comes back and promises him more power. He just had the feeling you belonged to the winning side. How can you stand there and defend a so called teacher, who never teaches? Did you know that there are hardly young people coming from Hogwarts who can brew proper potions? Have you not noticed how low the potions performances are on the whole since he 'teaches'? The ministry has been lacking good potions savants for a good long while already. Either he behaves, actually teaches, and not only the Slytherins, or he goes."

"Sirius, you're cruel…"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"No, Dumbledore, you are! You tell me with hardly any emotion that Harry needs to die for the rest of us to be able to kill Voldemort, but protect a vicious, sadistic, cruel person so he can mistreat as many students as he likes and display the worst professional behaviour possible…"

"It was just the one time he tells off your foster son…"

"Tells off my foster son??? What about Snape falling over the children without giving them the slightest chance to prove themselves? What about encouraging them to learn instead of beating some bits and pieces into them? What about the fact that he had the nerve to attack Harry's mind in his first lesson? Had we not had the good idea to teach the children Occlumency from day one they went to school he might have severely hurt Harry. That's a criminal act, Dumbledore, a violation of his student's privacy and if we bring that to court you don't stand the point of a chance to save your pet. And what about all those complaints you must have received over the years? I don't know what *you* expect from the greasy git, but *I* expect him to bloody well teach his students and teach them all, not only a select few! I do have the means to have his classes monitored and get him sacked, even if you do not agree – unless I hear of definite improvement, Albus. And believe you me there will be parents up and down this country to sing my praise for this."

When he left the office Sirius noticed the absence of an old friend of his, and wondered where Fawkes was.

Probably a burning day or he's out having fun somewhere, Sirius thought. What he didn't expect was to find a familiar red-gold bird sitting on the perch at home that was usually occupied by his owl and Hedwig. Remus came into the room and said:

"Fawkes turned up this morning, love, and he doesn't seem to be inclined to leave for the moment…"

"Wow! And I just noticed your absence from a certain headmaster's office, Fawkes. I wonder if something is wrong."

"How did your conversation go?"

"I probably left him heartbroken, because I told him that unless the students confirmed definite improvement on Snape's teaching and behaviour, I'd have him sacked. It won't be difficult to have his classes monitored and I mean monitored undercover, he wouldn't be aware of it. Two or three classes would probably do to prove he's a few things, but definitely not a teacher. I'm still fuming that he had the nerve to use Legilimency on Harry and other students. How backhanded is that? And they're only small children, darn it! It's not like Harry walked in there as if he owned the place! At least I can't imagine that, and it wouldn't be like him at all."

"Harry is certainly a healthy boy with a healthy self-confidence, but I would never call him arrogant, love. He's been so kind to all children who were here over the years. He's extremely caring. He doesn't like that fame he has. I would call him modest, but not too modest," Remus summarised.

"That's it! But he has to live with Snape as his teacher and Snape abuses his position as a teacher. I ask you, what kind of cheap revenge on James is that? Ruining his children's educational experience, just because he can't get over some petty little grudge? If I tell that to the school governors they'll have him thrown out without further notice."

Remus sighed. He was inclined to wait for a moment to see what the next weeks brought. But he agreed that action should be taken if the man couldn't get his act together.

"Something else has come up, love, and this time it's something very positive. Some idiot has tried to invent a potion to 'eliminate' all werewolves, but he's created a potion that helps them instead. It's called the Wolfsbane potion, and it's supposed to help a werewolf to keep their minds through the transformation. The recipe is available through the Werewolf Support Unit – although they're certainly not going to advertise it, the idiots, not talking about Perry, but her superiors – and I've got it right here. Very complex, but I think I can make it for you, sweetheart."

"And this has been tested?" Remus asked.

"A good number of times. The people they actually wanted to kill with it, were very calm and hardly moved around in their transformed states."

Sirius dropped a parchment on the table. Remus took it, studied the text it contained and sighed:

"That would be impossible for me to brew! This looks incredibly difficult."

"I think it would keep me occupied for three or four hours every month, but I'd gladly brew it for you, love."

"That would be great – I think…"

"Then I'll make it. Anything to help you, Moony."

"I love you, Padfoot."

"I love you, too, Moony."


	4. Broomsticks, Trolls and Quidditch

**Chapter 4 – Broomsticks, Trolls and Quidditch**

Dumbledore had the good sense to pass the warning to his potions master. He called him to his office and asked him to downsize his attacks on non-Slytherin students for a while.

"You will need to lay low for a while, Severus. I'm afraid that Sirius doesn't threaten without the means to follow through with his threats, and if you don't want to lose your work here, you will *have* to be more careful. It is certainly not Harry's fault that you and his father didn't get along; there really is no need to take it out on the boy. As the children told me you asked him three questions and he did know the answer to two of them?"

"He's just as arrogant as his father! Swaggered into the class as if he already knew everything…"

"Pardon me, Severus, but I really cannot imagine Harry to swagger – ever. You must have misjudged him greatly. And you did not answer my question. Did he give you correct answers?"

"He hit the right ones with sheer dumb luck, yes," Snape had to admit.

"I doubt that was luck. Harry has been educated by Remus. I am fairly sure that Remus will have prepared his pupils for your teaching methods. But it's not only about Harry, you have to stop being so unfair to non-Slytherins. You can't continue to encourage the Slytherins in their misbehaviour against students of the other houses, either. After today I will not reign in Minerva, Filius and Pomona anymore."

Snape promised to try. Albus sighed when he left the office. He looked at Fawkes' empty perch and missed the uplifting presence of the bird.

Meanwhile there was an announcement of flying classes for the first years on the notice boards of every common room. The classes were mandatory, either for an assessment by Madam Hooch, the flying instructor of the school, or to actually get a chance to learn it from scratch. It was probably the only thing that wizarding children had in advance over the Muggle-born children. Hannah discovered the notice first, but her giddiness at the discovery was followed immediately with a groan.

"Oh no! I was looking forward to the flying lessons, but we have to have them with the Slytherins! Yuck!" she moaned.

"Well, we're already pretty good at it, so we'll just do our thing and that's that," said Hermione.

"Hermione is right, sis, we'll get through that without any problems."

"And Madam Hooch is supposed to be very fair," said Neville.

"Next Thursday! What a shame we can't have our own brooms," Hannah remarked, now considerably happier again.

But that was a whole week and a half away. While the other classes turned out really interesting and made the children curious for more, Snape could barely hold himself back. Since Dumbledore had given the other heads of house permission to be stricter on the Slytherins he was like a gunpowder barrel before an explosion. The first years quickly noticed that he was very dangerous and tried to be as quiet as possible. This was difficult, because as usual he chose to walk on the path of provocation. The first years left the double lesson to go to lunch and congratulated themselves for a relatively small point loss of 35 points collectively. They were fuming, because all of those points had been deducted for practically no reasons.

But on Monday Draco came over from the Hufflepuff table and sat down next to the Gryffindor first years with a wide grin. He told them that Snape had gone beyond the limit with his class and had taken 47 points from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw collectively and that both, Sprout and Flitwick had sent in the point deductions of the whole school year to the school governors, behind Dumbledore's back, but with McGonagall's signature.

"That will do him in – hopefully," Hannah said.

When they found their way to the Quidditch pitch for the long awaited first flying lesson, they found their teacher and about twenty brooms lying on the floor.

"One of you next to one broom, please!"

All children scrambled around until each of them stood next to a broom. They were then instructed to call the broom to their hands. Nott, who had positioned himself opposite Hermione, was very annoyed when the Muggle-born girl's broom sped to her hand at her first confident "up!". He looked at her and frowned, wondering how a Mudblood could do that so easily. Especially since he himself had to call "up!" three times before the broom actually did come up to his hand. Hermione couldn't help herself, she had to smirk.

"Any problems, Nott? Haven't you done any flying before? The way you talked lately one could think you'd done nothing else until school started…" she sneered.

"These school brooms are disgusting," Nott replied.

Harry secretly had to agree, but he wouldn't fall in Hermione's back and retorted:

"A really good flyer can be recognised only on lousy brooms, Nott. If you can fly a lousy broom you're a good flyer. That easy rule should not be too hard to comprehend, not even for your pea-sized pure-blood brain."

"No squabbling, children!" interfered Madam Hooch. "Now then. Everyone swing your leg over the broom and wait for my command to hover. – Very good."

She passed along the two rows of students and showed them the correct grip of the broom handle. Harry, Hannah, Neville and Hermione grinned when she told Nott he had been doing it wrong all of his life. They then had to learn to kick off and hover for a moment, then fly in slow circles around the pitch on a very limited height. Even Hermione thought it was dead slow.

Then Madam Hooch made them stop and stand still for a while, to attend to some students who didn't quite get the concept on the first attempt. While she had her back turned Hannah pulled out a little toy she had received as a farewell gift from Remus, a lovely little Muggle glass dome, that 'snowed' when she shook it. She held it against the light and looked at it when it was snapped away by Nott. Harry saw it out of the corner of his eyes.

"Give it back, Nott!" Hannah said.

"I don't think so… it's rubbish, anyway!"

"Give it back to her, Nott," Harry also said.

"If it's so valuable for you, come and get it!" cried Nott, jumped on his broom and flew up.

Harry didn't think long, he followed suit and easily caught up with Nott, who seemed to notice that there was a bit less safety at thirty metres in the air.

"Give that here, Nott, or I'll knock you off your broom," Harry threatened.

"Oh yeah?" Nott tried to sneer, but he looked very worried.

He had reason to, because Harry bent over his broom and began to shoot forward. Nott just got out of the way in time. Harry put in a sharp turn and was hovering in front of Nott again.

"No Crabbe and Goyle up her to save your neck, Nott, you're all alone now," Harry called.

The same thought seemed to have struck Nott.

"Oh well, catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass dome into the air and streaked back towards the ground.

Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the glass dome rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leant forward and pointed his broom handle down – next he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball – wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching – he stretched out his hand – a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently on to the grass with the tiny glass dome clutched safely in his fist.

"Harry Potter!" a double shout was to be heard, one close, from Madam Hooch, and one further away, from a shocked Professor McGonagall, who came running from the castle as fast as she still could.

"Never – in all my time at Hogwarts…"

Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously. "How dare you? Might have broken your neck!"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor!"

"Be quiet, Miss Patil!"

"But Nott…"

"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Pardon me, Rolanda, I'll take him with me! Potter, follow me, now."

Harry caught sight of Nott, Crabbe and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake. He expected to be punished, but when they finally arrived back in the castle she just ran ahead looking for something or someone. They finally arrived at the Charms classroom, where McGonagall knocked on the door, before sticking her head into the classroom.

"Excuse me, Filius, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"

'Wood?' thought Harry, bewildered. Was wood a cane she was going to use on him?

But Wood turned out to be a person, much to Harry's relief. He was a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class, looking slightly confused.

"Follow me, you two!" McGonagall pointed them into a classroom, which was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.

"In here!"

As soon as she had thrown Peeves out she turned to Wood and said:

"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood – I've just found you a Seeker!"

Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.

"Are you serious, Professor?"

"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply.

Harry's heart began to soar. If she was talking about a Seeker – did that mean she wanted him to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team?

"He just caught the little glass thing there in his hand after a thirty or so metres dive, Wood! Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it!"

Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.

"Don't need to ask you whether you've ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter, do I?"

"Of course not!"

"Wood is the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Potter," Professor McGonagall explained.

"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light – speedy. Do you already have a broom at home, Potter?"

"Of course!"

"What model?"

"A Cleansweep Seven."

"That'll do nicely."

"Okay, I'll speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks!"

Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry:

"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."

But then she suddenly smiled:

"I'm sure you can imagine how proud your father would have been. He was an excellent Quidditch player. As was your mother, by the way!"

****

"You're joking!"

It was dinner time. Harry had just finished telling the others what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron, who was listening in, had a piece of steak-and-kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but forgotten all about it.

"Seeker?" he said. "But first-years never – you must be the youngest house player in about…"

"…. A century," said Harry and grinned. "Wood told me. I'll start training next week. Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."

Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry and hurried over.

"Well done!" said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team, too – beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch Cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

After Fred and George left Hermione had something to say:

"That's brilliant, Harry, even if she has to bend the rules. From what Remus said your dad was also a Quidditch player, wasn't he?"

"Yeah. Chaser. Daddy was a Chaser, too. He'll be mighty proud. I'll have to ask him to send me my broom!"

Nott turned up, flanked as usual by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you going back on the train to your blood traitor of a stepfather?"

"You're a lot braver now you're back on the ground and together with your little friends," Harry retorted with far more courage than he actually felt and pointedly keeping his back turned on the Slytherins.

There was, of cousre, nothing at all small about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own," Nott said. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose? That's what being raised by a blood traitor and a half-breed does to you… tonight, at midnight, in the Trophy Room…"

"Of course he has," Ron piped up quickly. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

"Shut up, Ron!" said Harry and turned to Nott: "You can't call me out for a duel, you're not of age, and you know that very well. Besides, it's not me who has to prove himself. You can't insult me, anyway. Not an unimportant little inferior like you. So forget your duel."

Ron looked disappointed. Hermione looked very proud of her friend and actually scowled at Ron, as did Neville and Hannah spoke it out:

"I doubt you'd even turn up, Nott. You'd probably go and blab to Filch before and then hide in your bed," Hannah commented.

"We may be rash Gryffindors, but we're not that dumb and not that rash either, Nott. So shove off and go bury yourself in that dungeon common room you call home…"

By this time Professor Sprout had spotted their little quarrel and passed, asking them:

"You don't fight, do you, children?"

"No, Madam, we have solved the discussion already," Hermione said.

"Very well. May I suggest that you three go back to your table or down to your dungeons? It's time anyway."

She watched on until the three Slytherins were gone and then smiled at the Gryffindors:

"Well done, children, that's ten points to Gryffindor for great conflict management. Have a very pleasant evening!"

"Thank you, Professor Sprout!" all of them chorused.

Sirius was more than pleased when Harry called him in the evening. He was sitting with Hannah, Hermione and Neville in the Room of Requirement, to tell him about his nomination as the Gryffindor Seeker. Sirius promised to bring Harry's broom to Minerva who would give it to him.

"That's great, daddy, thank you! Nott will be pretty miffed when he learns I've made Seeker because he threw Hannah's glass ball away. He made me so angry with his arrogance. Snape lets him call Hermione and the other Muggle-borns Mudblood with not even the slightest reprimand! And many Slytherins won't listen to anyone but Snape. There are probably some nice people in their class, but we only notice the horrid ones. Zabini is just as bad as Nott, even worse, I'd say, because he's subtle and not so stupidly loud."

"They might have to fairly soon, Harry. Professors Flitwick and Sprout have also filed a complaint against him, directly to the hands of the school governors."

"Yes, we know, Draco told us. He said that McGonagall signed it, too. It's about the point deductions Snape produces. His reasons for point reductions are so obviously impossible they'll probably take him apart," Hannah threw in.

"Ideally I would not have him sacked. As long as he's under Dumbledore's nose he can't do much, but I wouldn't put it past him to go out and try to bring Voldemort back if he's left to his own devices. Remember that Voldemort is not entirely dead."

"Darn! I forgot about that one for a moment," Harry said, downcast all of a sudden.

"Don't worry, Harry! Even if Snape will be sacked, he'll be tagged and followed wherever he goes and not just for a month. He is a marked Death Eater and he has been acting as a double agent. You can't ever fully trust a person who allegedly works for both sides."

"Dumbledore seems to trust him fully though," Hermione threw in.

"I know he does. In fact he's so enamoured with the sleezeball he's blocked all complaints from students or other parents for the past ten years or so. When I told your story to Andromeda she was quite happy that he wouldn't deal with me as he deals with everyone else. Seems she had tried unsuccessfully to file more than one complaint while Dora was still at school."

"Is something wrong with Dumbledore?" Neville wanted to know.

"He's getting old and I think a bit loopy, too. He thinks Voldemort is his sole responsibility and wants to have him out of the way for good before he dies. He sometimes doesn't have his priorities in the right order, but basically he's okay. He just needs to be treated firmly, because he's so used to tread over almost everyone with that insufferable mildness of his that he never notices how much he tramples over all others. You can tread easy and still hurt people. Just take this as a lesson, children: power is a dangerous thing because it corrupts even the best! And giving someone power is very easy. If the other talks you down and you give in you have given the other one further power. Humans tend to run away with all extras they can get."

"It's like the fear of the name increases the fear, isn't it, Sirius?" Hermione inquired.

"That's exactly what it is. Now don't you worry too much and hop off to bed, children!"

"Good night, daddy!" Hannah and Harry said and Hermione and Neville wished Sirius a good night as well.

"Good night, dears!"

It was still early enough that the four children could walk to their common room openly.

Harry loved the Quidditch training sessions. His three best friends accompanied him to the pitch to watch, like a few other Gryffindors did on a regular basis. Ron didn't follow them. His initial happiness for Harry had already turned into a bitter jealousy. He was quickly turning away from the four friends, feeling like the fifth wheel on the wagon and that made him angry and more jealous. To him it seemed like the Boy-Who-Lived seemed to get everything: the fame, the money, the rich happy home, all the friends and the good marks on top of everything. What he deliberately overlooked was that Harry – and Hannah - actually worked for those good marks and the good relationship they had with their other family members and friends.

Soon the first two months at school were over and Hogwarts was prepared for the Halloween feast. Harry and Hannah didn't pay that any mind, because it was a sad day for them, the day they had lost both of their parents. Hermione and Neville knew that very well, so they just let their friends be on that day. Unfortunately, on that day their last lesson was a Charms lesson and Professor Flitwick let them try the levitation charm for the first time. Hermione had to endure Ron, who sat next to her and as she watched how he maltreated the feather they were given to lift she stopped him by holding his arm down.

"You're doing it all wrong, Ron. It's not working because you don't pronounce the spell correctly. It's Wingardium Leviosa, with the emphasis on 'gar' and 'os'. Don't scream it out, just say it clearly and purposefully and your feather will fly!"

"Well, if you're so clever, then you do it!" he snarled.

Hermione pushed the sleeves of her robe back, lifted her wand and said the spell. Her feather lifted softly from the desk, rose into the air and hovered as her wand pointed, moved where she pointed to and came back down when she told it to.

"Oh, well done!" Professor Flitwick cried, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger has done it!"

The fact that Hermione had done it perfectly well and Professor Flitwick's praise did nothing to lift Ron's mood and while he strode out of the class at the end he muttered, loud enough for almost everyone to hear it:

"It's no wonder hardly anyone can stand her! She's a nightmare!"

Harry had certainly heard it and of course so did Hermione, who walked next to him. He felt her speed up and run down the corridor, tears running down her face.

"Hardly anyone? Lavender, Hannah and I don't have a problem with her, neither do Harry or Neville, it's just you and Seamus, you insensitive barbarian! How any Weasley could have turned out like you is really a mystery to me!" Parvati brushed her classmate down.

Hannah and Harry also rounded on Ron:

"You insensitive git! How can you call her that? She has a load of friends, contrary to you!"

Hannah tried to coax Hermione out of the girls' toilets when they reached them, but she wanted to be left alone. With a sigh, Hannah told her to come back to them soon and that they would be going down to the Halloween feast.

"'s okay…" she sniffled.

Hannah closed the door to the girls' toilets and told Harry that she had been unsuccessful. They looked to the door, but continued down to the Great Hall. They found three seats at one end of the table closest to the doors, where they sat down.

The decorations of the Great Hall were magnificent. It was decked in all autumn colours and the floating candles were joined by about a thousand live bats that swarmed up at the darker part of the Great Hall's ceiling.

And then – Harry had just put a few potatoes on his plate, Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the Hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table and gasped:

"Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know!"

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

The announcement caused uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy was in his element.

"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a Prefect!"

"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they started to climb the stairs.

"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Neville.

"Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke," Ron piped up.

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Neville's arm.

"Hermione!"

"What?"

"She doesn't know about the troll!"

"Oh, right… just let's get out of here without Percy noticing…"

Ducking down, Harry, Neville and Hannah joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor and hurried off towards the girls' toilets. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Neville and pulled Hannah and Harry behind a large stone griffin.

Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Hannah asked. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me," said Harry.

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.

"Hey, he's heading for the third floor!" Harry said, but Neville and Hannah held up their hands.

"Can you smell something?"

Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

And then they heard the pounding of enormous feet on the floor and a grunting that left them horrified. If the stench and the sounds of the beast were already bad the children were even more shocked at the sight! At about four metres the troll was huge. It had granite grey skin, a lumpy body like a boulder with a tiny bald head perched on top like a coconut. Its short legs were thick as tree trunks and stood on flat, horny feet. It held a wooden club, which dragged along the floor, because its arms were so long.

With sheer horror the three children saw it heading to the area where the girls' toilets were. Hannah whispered desperately:

"We need to do something!"

Neville finally nudged Harry and said:

"Take it out with its own club? What do you think? Wingardium Leviosa should do it if we cast it together!"

"Good idea, on three! One, two, three: Wingardium Leviosa!"

The spell the three children wove together worked. They pulled the club out of the troll's hand and lifted it high above its head.

Losing its club even went into the head of a troll and it looked around, only to see the three children, if not its club. It started to come onto them, but they quickly guided the club over the troll's head and let it drop. And even a troll goes down if a heavy club hits its temple. It crashed down and ended up right in front of Harry, Hannah and Neville.

Where there's noise there are teachers. First Hermione came flying out of the toilets, then McGonagall was next, bursting into the corridor with Snape close behind her and Quirrell in the rear. Everyone stared at the fallen troll in shock. Quirrell took one short look at it and sat down, in urgent need of the smelling salts, Hannah thought.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice.

Harry took a deep breath and then said:

"You were all running off and we had no time to tell you that Hermione was in the girls' toilets here. She knew nothing about the troll. And since the troll was supposed to be in the dungeons we thought we'd fetch her!" he said.

"And then the troll came here…"

"And how on earth did you three end up felling a fully grown mountain troll?" McGonagall continued.

"We used Wingardium Leviosa together. Remus told us that casting together will give a spell more strength, so we lifted the club over its head and let it drop down," Neville said.

"Well then, let's see: that's five points from Gryffindor for not following orders for each of you!" McGonagall started.

"Oh no!" Hermione cried.

Snape looked strangely pleased, but the deputy headmistress wasn't done yet.

"And ten points for each of you three for your nerve and quick thinking. Now off with you to Gryffindor tower. The students get their feast in their house common rooms."

They left the place quickly. But as soon as they were out of earshot Hannah remarked:

"What was odd about this thing tonight?"

"I don't know… Quirrell finding the troll in the dungeons?" Neville asked back.

"That was just the start. Didn't you think he's put it on a bit thick tonight? That was almost show-like to sink down in front of the head table like that!" Hannah insisted.

The others started to ponder the rest of their adventure. They knew how Hannah always noticed such little details, so they gathered the facts.

"Troll supposedly in the dungeons. All teachers going there. Not Snape though, he's obviously going up to the third floor corridor. At least it sounds like he does. The troll is nowhere near the dungeons. Right after we've taken it out of the equation, McGonagall comes up and then only Snape and Quirrell right behind her, no one else. Where are the others?" Harry ticked off.

"What was Snape doing going up to the forbidden corridor? Was the troll a diversion? Is he up to stealing the You-know-what?" Hannah and Hermione continued the thoughts.

"Who knows? You remember that Sirius said he'd never trust him. But it seems too obvious. Another diversion?" Harry reminded them.

"Yes, Snape would be the likely suspect, wouldn't he? But he's also too obvious…" Hermione mused.

"You've read one Sherlock Holmes story too many, Hermione," said Neville.

"Well, if these stories – and Agatha Christie's – have taught me something, it is always to consider alternatives and less obvious things. And don't mock my Hercule Poirot!"

Hannah, Harry and Neville laughed. They all knew who Hermione's favourite detective was.

While the Scottish weather became harsher and colder the castle provided warmth in all common rooms, in most classrooms and in most of the areas the students could access. It never got warm in Snape's dungeons of course. None of the Gryffindor first years were in the mood brewing potions in such icy surroundings, even though the burners did give a little warmth.

The corridors were draughty and no one lingered longer in them than necessary. But most of the teachers also liked some warmth, therefore the children had no difficulties to feel well in the classrooms. Amazingly even the Great Hall remained warm. Harry was sure that not only the four giant fireplaces in the Hall were keeping the room warm. The ceiling was so high and the room had such vast dimensions that something else had to be in play to keep it cosy and warm. Finally there were also fires blazing in the common rooms and the dormitories.

The beginning of November meant that the Quidditch season finally started with the first matches. The teams had had time to train their new members and everyone involved was now eager to put that new team under test. Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor team captain, was simply taken with Harry! He couldn't get over how Harry was a natural. No one had seen him playing yet, because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But the news had leaked out somehow and Harry didn't know which was worse – people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him, holding a mattress.

It was really lucky that Harry had Hermione as his best friend. He didn't know how he'd have got through all of his homework without her, what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also pointed out the latest edition of _Quidditch through the Ages_, which turned out to be a very interesting read.

Ron had stayed away from them since Halloween. He didn't even talk much to Harry and Neville, who both weren't very sad. They loved the Weasley twins, but they considered the youngest Weasley as petty, jealous, a slouch and generally more of a nuisance. Ron was especially jealous because the four seemed to have found special friends in his older brothers, but then he seemed to be constantly jealous of the twins, too, anyway. The four were enough for each other; they didn't really need a fifth wheel on the wagon. They preferred to provide their well known and familiar social network for each other.

All four had many other friends though. Besides the other Gryffindor girl, Parvati, they did also well with the fourth girl in the dorm, Lavender. In their own year they had been friends for a long time with Susan Bones, Philip McKinnon, Padma Patil and Draco. They now gained friends among the older students, and across the houses as well as some of the older students.

The weather got to a point where it was getting uncomfortable to stay outside. Hermione, Harry, Hannah and Neville stood together in the freezing courtyard. Hermione had conjured up a bright blue fire, which could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. The four children moved closer together to block the fire from view, they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?"

It was _Quidditch through the Ages_. Harry showed him.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"But it's not a…" Hannah protested.

"Keep your mouth shut, girl," Snape whispered menacingly and turned to go.

"He's just made that rule up, and how can he take away a book that's my personal belonging?" Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Hannah bitterly.

"It looks like he's really had a nasty encounter. Maybe something really angry is in that third floor corridor," said Neville.

"Must be. If he was there that is…" said Hermione.

"The girls' toilet is on the second floor, right next to the stairs up to the third floor on the right… he went straight up there. I'm dead sure he was there!"

Later in the common room as they sat together Harry felt his nerves going crazy with worry of the Quidditch game the next day. He felt restless and wanted his book back. Getting up, he told Hermione and Hannah he was going to ask Snape if he could have his book back. Why should he be afraid of the teacher anyway? The book was his!

He made his way down to the staff room and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Still nothing.

Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. Harry pushed the door ajar and peered inside – and a horrible scene met his eyes.

Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but –

"POTTER!"

Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back…"

"GET OUT! OUT!" Snape shrieked and threw the book at Harry.

Harry grabbed it and left before Snape had the idea to take more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs and joined the others in the common room.

"Did you get it?" Hannah asked.

"What's the matter?" Neville wanted to know.

In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen and heard.

"Three heads! And his leg looked like someone had a good nibble at it," he said. "What could it be?"

"Sounds like a Cerberus," Hermione explained.

"What's that?" asked Neville.

"A three-headed dog. In Greek mythology it guards the entry to hell."

"Then this must be Hagrid's part of the protection of the you-know-what," said Harry with certainty.

"Yes, it sounds like the sort of thing Hagrid could provide," Hannah agreed. "You remember how he told us on first meeting he'd love to have a dragon?"

"Could well be. We know what it's guarding, usually such dogs are placed over trapdoor entries. And underneath are more tests from the other teachers. Who would provide one?" Hermione mused.

"McGonagall in any case," Harry suggested. "And it's got to be something with transfiguration."

"Flitwick, too, I suppose. Something charmed," Hannah said.

"And Snape himself, of course," Neville grumbled. "Nasty potion barriers?"

"It may not all be as obvious as Hagrid's. But I suppose Sprout also offered something and that is probably a plant of some sort," Hermione guessed.

"Certainly. Leaves the Dark Arts professor…" said Harry.

The next morning the four of them sat at the breakfast table and Hermione tried to get Harry to eat something.

"You can't play well on an empty stomach, Harry!"

"Daddy and papa will be there, Harry, you don't want to fall of your broom because you're hungry," his sister teased him.

"I don't want anything! I'm not hungry!" Harry said.

He felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking on to the pitch.

"Harry, you need your strength!" said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get nobbled by the other team!"

"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching his classmate pile ketchup on his sausages.

He was finally persuaded to at least nibble on a piece of toast.

By eleven o'clock the whole school and a good number of family members seemed to have gathered out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.

Hermione and Hannah joined Neville, Seamus, Ron and Dean the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on a bed sheet. It said _Potter for President_ and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours.

Remus and Sirius had found their way up and greeted the two girls. Hannah hugged them and promptly placed herself on Sirius' knees. She pointed to the other children:

"These are my classmates: Seamus Finnigan, Neville you know well enough, Dean Thomas, Ron Weasley, and the last one you don't know is Lavender Brown. – Guys, meet my daddy, Sirius Black, and my papa, Remus Lupin."

The kids greeted Harry's and Hannah's father. Lavender almost fainted, because she thought Sirius was so good-looking. Hannah expected that she would be questioned later on.

Meanwhile, in the changing rooms, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be placing in green).

Wood cleared his throat for silence.

"Okay, men!" he said.

"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.

"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."

"The big one," said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told a grinning Harry. "We were in the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood good-naturedly. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck to all of you."

Harry followed Fred and George out of the changing room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked on to the pitch to loud cheers.

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the pitch, waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth-year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing _Potter for President_ over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver, especially when he recognised his fathers among his friends. Even Dora was there!

"Mount your brooms, please."

Harry clambered on to his Cleansweep Seven.

Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.

Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too –"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor!"

The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve – back to Johnson and – no, Slytherin have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin captain Marc Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes – Flint flying like an eagle up there – he's going to sc – no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and Gryffindor take the Quaffle – that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and – OUCH – that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger – Quaffle taken by Slytherin – that's Adrian Pucey speeding off towards the goalposts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger – sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which – nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes – she's really flying – dodges a speeding Bludger, the goalposts are ahead – come on, now, Angelina – Keeper Bletchley dives – misses – GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"

Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!"

Remus and Sirius grinned and made space between Hermione and Neville for Hagrid to join them.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars round his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Sirius. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'" said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skywards at the speck that was Harry.

Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.

"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."

When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let out his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold but it was just the reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come peling his way, more like a cannon ball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.

"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat he Bludger furiously towards Marcus Flint.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying. "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys and Chaser Bell and speeds toward the – wait a moment – was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downwards after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled towards the Snitch – all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in mid-air to watch.

Harry was faster than Higgs – he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead – he put on an extra spurt of speed –

WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below – Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose and Harry's broom span off course, Harry holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindor supporters.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goalposts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.

Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling: "Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"This isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him. "You can't send people off at Quidditch – and what's a red card?"

But Hagrid, Remus and Sirius were on Dean's side.

"They oughta change these rules! Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air!"

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So – after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating –"

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul –"

"Jordan, I'm warning you –"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."

"Minnie is still at it, isn't she?" Sirius said to Remus.

"As always. What good memories those are. Remember how she even scolded Lily?"

"Yeah, but the Lily flower really had it in her for a hot commentary on that game against the snakes in sixth year. Must have been the fallout from Snape calling her a Mudblood."

"He did that? Bloody Snape. He's just such an incompetent fool, even though he claims we are," said Hannah.

She still sat comfortably in her daddy's lap and enjoyed him holding and cuddling her. She really despised Snape for his lousy teaching and was happy to hear that her mother had given it to the Slytherins.

"Yeah, he did. Your dad and I weren't exactly nice to him, I admit, but when she tried to intervene on Snape's behalf he called her that."

Up in the air it was as Harry dodged another Bludger which went spinning dangerously past his head that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He gripped his broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that!

It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Cleansweeps did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back towards the Gryffindor goalposts; he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time out – and then he realised that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zig-zagging through the air and every now and then making violent swishing movements which almost unseated him.

Lee was still commentating.

"Slytherin in possession – Flint with the Quaffle – passes Spinnet – passes Bell – hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose – only joking Professor – Slytherin score – oh no…"

The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn't know better I'd say he's lost control of his broom … but he can't have …"

Sirius and Remus looked up. They looked through their own binoculars and became aware of Harry's problem. Both were shocked and tried to get Madam Hooch's attention to stop the game for a moment.

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.

"Do you think something happened when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Sirius said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except very powerful Dark Magic. No kid could do that to a broom like Harry's."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd. Remus followed her example and both were scanning the opposite side of the stands.

"What are you doing?" moaned Neville, grey-faced.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped. "Snape – look!"

Neville grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering non-stop under his breath.

"He's doing something – jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it to me!"

Before Neville, or Remus, could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Remus kept staring and moved from Snape to see that not only Snape was muttering, but also Quirrell. After a while he noticed that a commotion arose and the jinxing stopped when Quirrell seemed to fall off his chair and Snape jumped up to extinguish some little blue flames eating up his robe.

In the meantime Harry fought for his life. The Weasleys tried to pull Harry to safety onto one of their brooms, but as they got nearer Harry's broom just lurched further away. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Madam Hooch, finally aware of the problem, whistled the game to a stop and tried, herself, to close up to Harry. She was terrified when she noticed that Harry's broom seemed to follow someone's order and not Harry's.

Flint, who had deliberately overheard the whistle, seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.

Hermione came back after a few minutes. Remus held her up so she could pass them by. Madam Hooch whistled again when she noticed Harry's broom behaving normal again. The game resumed, Flint's goals remained uncounted.

"I'm not sure it was Snape's jinxing," he remarked. "Or he may have had help from that other teacher with the turban. What's his name again?"

"Quirrell! I accidentally knocked him out of his seat, but I don't think he knows it was me," Hermione said, still almost out of breath.

"He was murmuring the same as Snape…"

"Uh oh…" said Hannah.

"You can look again, little one, Harry's just clambered back on his broom," Sirius said soothingly. He was glad that his daughter was on his lap, or he might have done something rash!

As it was, Harry was speeding towards the ground, when the crowd saw him clap his hand on his mouth as though he was about to be sick – he hit the pitch on all fours – coughed – and something gold fell into his hand.

"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.

"He didn't _catch_ it, he nearly _swallowed_ it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference – Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the result. Gryffindor had won by 170 to 10 points.

Harry heard none of this though. Remus and Sirius had gathered him, Neville, Hannah and Hermione and taken them with Hagrid to the gamekeeper's hut, where they sat around the big table and drank tea.

"It was Snape!" Hermione said. "I saw him! He was cursing your broom! He kept muttering and wouldn't take his eyes off you, Harry!"

"Rubbish!" Hagrid tried to shake off Hermione's suspicion. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

The children exchanged glances, looked at Sirius and Remus, and Harry decided on spilling the beans:

"I found out something about him," he said. "He tried to get past that Cerberus on Halloween when everyone was looking for the troll. When we went to get Hermione out of the girls' loo we saw him pass straight up to the third floor corridor on the right. And yesterday – he took away my Quidditch through the Ages, daddy! I wanted to ask him to give me back my book, but when I knocked on the door of the staff room, twice, and heard no answer, I opened the door and saw him and Filch. One of his legs was completely mangled and bloody! He complained about not getting past all three heads at once. He tried to steal the thing hidden up there…"

Hagrid dropped the teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" he asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes and Remus chuckled.

"Fluffy?" the children asked back, totally shocked.

"Yeah! He's mine. Bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year – I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the…"

"We know what it's guarding, Hagrid."

"Still. I don't think Snape would curse your broom, Harry."

Sirius and Remus had kept out so far, but now Remus brought his own thoughts into the round.

"Hagrid, Snape **was** muttering at Harry's broom, but it wasn't necessarily him who cursed it. He might have been the one to counter curse it in fact. Behind him sat Quirrell, and while Hermione was running over to the stands I saw **him** mutter curses as well. So we know it's one of them, only which one?"

"Oh… but I stopped Snape…" Hermione threw in. "And that freed the curse from Harry's broom…"

"Not only that. You said yourself that you were in such a haste to get to Snape you bustled Quirrell so badly, he actually fell out of his chair," Remus replied, grinning.

"Quirrell? Don't be ridiculous, he can't even get through a simple class without having the worst kind of nerves. He's afraid of his own shadow!" Hannah said, disgusted.

"That doesn't mean anything. He was quite okay last year, I met him here at Hogwarts when I was discussing something with Albus," said Sirius. "He wasn't stuttering."

"Yeah, but that was before the vampire," Harry said.

"I don't believe that story. This man is deceiving, I'm pretty sure."

"In any case I've done everything to dissuade Albus from protecting the Philosopher's Stone in this manner. Every student at Hogwarts who knows the teachers only a bit could get past those protections," Sirius sighed.

"Nonsense, Sirius, I'd like ter see anyone get past 'em. Fluffy alone is a tough one to pass."

"I'm not so sure, Hagrid. We already worked out who would put one of the protections in place and what it is likely to be," Harry threw in.

Sirius had a terrible thought. He looked at Remus and said:

"Would you excuse us for a while? We'd like to go and have a word with Albus."

"Okay, we'll stay here for a while still…"

"Very good."

The two young men went up to the castle and straight up to the Gargoyle protected entrance to Dumbledore's office. Sirius used the Order password and they were sent up the moving staircase. Dumbledore greeted them. Sirius cut right to the subject.

"I'm sure you heard what happened down on the Quidditch pitch, Albus."

"Yes, a fine victory for Harry, isn't it?"

"That it is, but it's not why we're here, Albus. Just before the game was ended, one of your staff members cursed Harry's broom to buck him off. And he would have almost succeeded if not another one had counter cursed it and Hermione had stopped him for good. Harry almost died today!"

"That is a very grave charge, Sirius…"

"But a correct one, Albus. I remember you have a Pensieve, don't you? Let me give you my memory of it," Remus supported his mate.

With a sigh, Dumbledore summoned his Pensieve and Remus dropped his memory inside. They went in, all three of them and Remus explained:

"You're looking through my binoculars. Look at Snape there! See him muttering?"

"He may not like Harry, but he'd never…"

"I'm not sure about that, but look behind him at Quirrell… he does the same. One of them is cursing the broom Harry rides and one of them is counter cursing. Personally I think it's Quirrell who tries to kill Harry," Remus' words were clear and harsh, but it was obvious that something foul had been played here.

"I'll call up Quirinus and question him," Dumbledore said and called for an elf to summon Quirrell into the office.

A few minutes later Quirrell entered. Sirius and Remus had placed themselves behind the door leading to Dumbledore's personal quarters, so that they couldn't be seen right away. Sirius transformed into Padfoot and sniffed for a bit. He didn't need long, then he turned to Remus and whispered:

"Something with this guy is off. I'd like to lift that turban away from his head. Would you kindly disarm him silently?"

"But with pleasure, dear Padfoot."

While Dumbledore started with some chatter to keep Quirrell assured of his safety, Remus silently cast a soft disarming spell, Sirius at the same time a stunner. Quirrell broke down almost silently. The two men came back into the room and lifted the turban off the teacher's head. They almost screamed when they saw a second head on the back of Quirrell's head!

Dumbledore paled. He didn't have an idea that Quirrell had come back to teach with this extra thing in his head.

"Voldemort!" Sirius whispered.

"Thank heavens he's stunned. We have to keep him that way, Albus. Can you call the Minister and some Aurors?"

"I'm getting there…"

Dumbledore Floo called the Ministry and within twenty minutes Scrimgeour was in his office.

"I'm afraid here lies the proof that Voldemort is not entirely dead, Minister. He has some life in him and seems to have possessed my teacher. I suppose he would have been after an artefact I have here at Hogwarts for my old friend Nicolas Flamel."

Scrimgeour was almost fainting.

"What can we do?"

"As terrible as it is, we have to drive him out of Quirrell and for that Quirrell probably has to die," Remus said.

"Is there no other way?"

"He possesses Quirrell. I don't see any other way."

"What do you think if we push him through the Veil of Death at the Ministry?" one of the Aurors asked.

"That seems to be the best way. Would he be gone for good if we do that, Albus?" Scrimgeour inquired.

"Who knows? I am not quite sure, and I'll reveal my theory, but only once this pair here is gone. And I would like to witness this execution."

"Within the hour. I will take responsibility for this, Albus. Let's take them there. Sirius, I want you there, too."

Remus nodded and said:

"I'll re-join the children then, Sirius."

"Fine. See you later, love."

Sirius accompanied the four Aurors and the Minister. They took Quirrell through the Floo back to the Ministry and transported him straight down to the Department of Mysteries. A few minutes later the Aurors dropped the stunned body through a veil, that hung on an arch on a dais in a very strange theatre like room. Sirius had never seen it before and looked around astonished.

As soon as Quirrell vanished through the veil they heard a scream so terrible that the blood in their veins almost froze. Sirius thought that there was a ghost like thing swishing right past him, but he wasn't sure if this was only his imagination.

"Did anyone of you feel that?" he asked.

"Like a cold draft?" Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the Aurors present, asked.

"Yes, exactly like that."

"Yeah, I did. Do you think that was his spirit?"

"Could have been. He's not survived the attack on Harry in a physical form. He possessed Quirrell and thus had to be a spirit, unless he sits somewhere in a physical body. If that were the case I'm not sure how he would survive this here."

"No one who's ever crossed that veil has ever returned," Scrimgeour said with conviction.

"That's what I heard, too," Sirius confirmed.

"There is much we don't know about the Veil of Death though," Dumbledore reasoned. "I am quite sure that we have not yet seen the last of Lord Voldemort."

"I hate to say it, but I don't think so either," Sirius confirmed.

"Is there a possibility that he could find himself a new body? Or does he have to keep possessing people?" Scrimgeour asked.

"Both are possibilities, Rufus. Can we return to my office? I'd like to have a word with you."

"Yes, I would like to know what you have found out about this thing."

Sirius didn't need to be there, too, he already knew all about the Horcruxes that Dumbledore would tell Rufus. He returned to Hagrid's hut. On the way there he crossed Snape's path and called:

"Severus!"

Snape turned around, already angry to see his one time classmate. But Sirius looked at him sincerely and said:

"Thank you for countering Quirrell's curse. There wasn't anything we could do from our side of the stands. You saved Harry's life."

"You know it was Quirrell?"

"Yes, and he's already been dealt with. Did you not notice anything amiss with him?"

"Apart from that infernal garlic stench around him? Only his dreadful dress sense."

"Quite dreadful, but also quite useful, Severus. He had Voldemort hidden under that turban."

Snape paled. He had already started to walk off, but now he stopped short and faced Sirius again.

"I suppose you won't believe me if I said I had no idea…"

"Of course I would. Not even Dumbledore had an idea. Remus looked through his binoculars and noticed both of you muttering, and he immediately thought you were rather countering than cursing. I agreed. Dumbledore summoned Quirrell to his office and Remus and I disarmed, silenced and stunned him, then we took away that turban."

"I'm glad I didn't have to witness that."

"And so you should be, it wasn't exactly pretty. Unfortunately to get rid of Voldemort we had to get rid of Quirrell. The Minister brought in a few Aurors and he's been pushed through the Veil of Death at the Ministry."

"Do you think that took care of what was left of the Dark Lord?"

"To be quite honest I'm not sure, Severus. It seems he's got seven lives or something…"

"Thank you for informing me…"

Sirius watched Snape leave and thought that this was the first time he had a proper civil conversation with the man. He didn't hold out for Snape's behaviour with his children to improve, but he did place his gratitude where it belonged.

Meanwhile the discussions had run themselves a bit to death. Sirius entered Hagrid's place again and everyone talked at once. Sirius held up his hands.

"I'm afraid, Professor Dumbledore will have to find a new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor yet again. Did Remus tell you what was on the back of your teacher's head?"

"No! He didn't want to say anything until you came back," Harry cried.

"We went to talk to Dumbledore about that attack on you, Harry. Remus had clearly seen both, Severus and Quirrell muttering curses. It was quite clear that they weren't both doing the same and you know that Remus suspected Quirrell from the start. He did well, too. Dumbledore had him summoned to question him, and we hid, disarmed and stunned the man to throw a glance under that horrible turban. He needed it to hide a face on the back of his own head. A face no one forgets who ever saw it. Voldemort's face. Luckily we had stunned Quirrell, so we called in the Minister. Scrimgeour takes the responsibility of having condemned Quirrell to an instant death. It was the only way to get Voldemort out of him."

"They AK'ed him right there?" Harry asked, wide-eyed.

"No. At the Ministry there is an archway in the Department of Mysteries, which they call the Veil of Death. Anyone who passes through this thing is immediately gone. We don't know for sure what actually happens to anyone going through there, but we know no one who ever went through ever came back."

The children swallowed hard. Hagrid, too, but then he said:

"'e was always a bit suspicious that one…"

"Voldemort possessed him… how dreadful must that have been?" Harry said in a low voice.

"Terrible, I'm sure."

"Do you think Voldemort is gone now?" Hermione asked.

"No. I expect he'll continue to try to find ways to come back. But – it hasn't happened yet and we'll take what comes, won't we, children?" Sirius asked, to cheer them up.

"Yes!" all four of them answered.

"And what shall we do in the meantime?" he wanted to know.

"Prank Snape!" Harry cried.

"Prank the Slytherins," Hannah cried at the same time.

"There's my children…" Sirius replied happily.

"But I still think you should say thank you to Snape for keeping you alive until Hermione felled the real culprit. How ever accidentally she did it!"

Hermione and Harry both scowled, though for entirely different reasons. Harry did see reason though and promised to do it after the next Potions class.


	5. Dispelling a Myth

**Chapter 5 – Dispelling a Myth**

In the beginning of December the school governors finally descended on Dumbledore and Snape. Receiving an exasperated complaint as they had from the three other heads of houses they thought it opportune to review the accused teacher's teaching methods. Interviews with ten students randomly chosen by the school governors from each house brought forth that all non-Slytherins were of the opinion that Snape was a terrible teacher and an even worse person, and the vote of non-confidence was unanimous among those thirty students while the Slytherins praised him to the skies.

Snape was finally investigated directly and while he tried to lie himself out of his predicament the non-Slytherin students offered to deliver memories from classes as examples. The governors themselves extracted those memories and when they saw the classroom behaviour of the Potions Master, especially in mixed classes with Slytherins and other houses they were appalled. Dumbledore wasn't happy at all. The verdict from the governors was clear. This teacher had to be dismissed.

"No doubt he's an exceptional Potions Master, Albus," one of them explained. "But he's the worst possible teacher. Actually he isn't a teacher at all; he seems to confuse the classroom with a torture chamber. He simply won't do any longer. We have a reputation to uphold and neither your Defence teachers nor this sorry excuse for a Potions teacher seem to be any useful representatives of your profession."

"Severus deserves our protection, ladies and gentlemen. He has been of great service to our cause in the last war and it is not right to cast him at the side just like that," Albus tried to defend his pet Death Eater.

"What ever he may have done before he started to 'teach' is not part of this discussion though. With his talents he will have no trouble finding suitable employment, Albus. It simply does not do to have a person in a classroom that has no teaching abilities or interests at all. You can almost feel he doesn't want to be there at all. Do not tell us that you knew nothing about it. As we have been informed there were numerous complaints before and if we were to approach the parents of students from the past ten years I'm sure we'd hear more interesting facts. His teaching career is herewith over. He has until the end of this week to leave the castle and we shall ensure he will not find any other teaching employment. We ask you to give him references only based on his potion-making abilities. He will receive his teaching qualifications from us. Backed up based on these testimonies the Wizarding Educational Board will be responsible for that. Any application for future professors of your school will have to come through us, Albus. Besides all of this you are very welcome to grant him protection wherever you may wish to do, Albus, but not in this school. In fact, not anywhere *near* this school either."

Thus Severus Snape's career as a Hogwarts professor ended. While he left the castle as quietly as he could three quarters of the students cheered through the corridors and the Great Hall! Dumbledore was left to search for a new Potions Master. He advertised the position and was astonished when he only received three applications, two from two old gentlemen who were already in retirement and one from Andromeda Tonks.

The school governors easily dismissed the two old men, not because they weren't good at what they did, but because they were simply too old to be placed in a school full of lively children. They were very impressed with Andromeda, who had studied Potions, but never worked in the field after having her daughter and then taking on the responsibility of raising Draco Malfoy. She had the added bonus of having been a Slytherin, thus she would be the new head of house Slytherin as well.

Her tenure was to start right after the Christmas holidays, but she came before to have her office and classroom redecorated and moved out of the dungeons. In her school days the potions classroom had been on the ground floor and she moved it back there immediately. She checked the storage room and stocked it with what she needed. Her office was close to her classroom. Then she took hold of Slytherin house.

When she started to teach after the Christmas break she felt immediate rebellion from a good number of the Slytherin students, but disciplined them harshly every time they stepped a toe out of line. She became quickly known as a no-nonsense teacher to every student in the school, matched only by Minerva McGonagall herself, even Draco sometimes moaned, but at one point Andromeda took him to her office to explain things to him:

"I know you moan about me being harsh, Draco, but don't fret! I *have* to drive it home to my Slytherins that everyone is treated the same, no matter what house they belong. This way they might still learn that they aren't anything better than the others. They need to understand that I'm not all of a sudden turning against them, but that I hold them responsible for their actions in a way my predecessor never did. He just left them to their own devices. I want to make them understand that they *are* responsible for their actions. But it's important for them to *see* that everyone who's stepping out of line gets the same treatment. Otherwise they just feel victimised as you have been by Snape."

"I understand, Auntie. It's hard, but I do understand and I'll try to make the others see it your way, too!"

"I'm glad you do, Draco, but you've always been a clever boy, you'll figure it out! I hope that in time I will be seen the same way you all see Professor McGonagall, because she's my model."

Harry, Hermione, Neville and Hannah didn't have a problem with the new Potions professor. They loved Andy and did their best to make her proud of them.

Some of the Slytherins still held up the view of the "blood traitor" Andromeda Tonks. She had married a Muggle-born wizard after all. But they didn't dare saying it loud anymore, once Andy had given them a strict talking to in the common room. She had stopped the private tutoring of the Slytherins in Potions immediately. If one of her Slytherins needed tutoring they were now obliged to find other students to help them, either in their own or in another house. Andy did more to restore peace in the Hogwarts halls within two months than anyone in the past fifty years before her had managed. She knew but she also admitted to herself that she was probably the first one in decades who had a real interest in creating unity instead of discord.

Her sunny disposition helped her to get along famously with the other teachers as well as the students. There was a considerable cut in fights born from house rivalry within a month or so. Even Dumbledore was glad to have her on board.

The remainder of the school year passed quickly for the children. The Gryffindors were able to beat Hufflepuff soundly in their Quidditch match and the third match against Ravenclaw turned out to be the hardest one, because the fair and able playing of everyone concerned was demanding and presented a thrilling and entertaining match.

Sirius and Remus had come to see the match and brought Edgar and Ophelia, both now recognised as a first generation wizard and witch. The little ones had great fun watching Harry up on his broom. Hermione had fun to have her little siblings at Hogwarts for the first time.

The Gryffindor team won the last match of the season as well and had thus won the Quidditch Cup fair and square for the first time in a good number of years. Oliver Wood wanted to kiss his house teacher, because she had found Harry. He had an excellent team of three Chasers and two really strong beaters, so he expected the team to become even stronger in the coming years.

The party lasted well into the night!

When Harry, Hannah, Neville and Hermione returned home for their first summer break they were all four thoroughly content. They shared their compartment for the trip back to London and were left alone for the most part. Only for a few hours Fred, George and Lee came to them to chat for a while.

"Any plans for your summer break?" asked George.

"We'll probably spend our usual family holidays with the Grangers on some coast," said Hannah.

"Sounds nice. Have you done that for a while then, since you say 'usual'?" asked Fred.

"Ever since Hermione came to school with us, I think. Must be a good number of years already," replied Harry.

"It's going to get even better now, because slowly the twins are worth something and can tag along with us," Hermione remarked.

"Yes, they must have grown nicely without us."

"Mum has written about their mischief a few times. Dad seems to be plenty amused. He thinks they get it from Remus and Sirius."

"How old are they now?" asked Fred.

"Five, going on six. They were born when I was seven."

"That's a very good age to start pranking," George grinned.

"Don't you dare putting any such ideas into their heads or my parents will have yours," Hermione warned.

"I'd have to meet them first," George said with an even wider grin.

"You'll just have to come to Gargle Island for visits, we're on the Floo, but I'll have to ask daddy, whether we can give you the password."

"I suppose you're not too keen to see Ronniekins as well, are you?"

"No thanks. We prefer pranksters to prats," Hannah said with distinction.

The twins laughed and admitted:

"Don't worry, he's not enough fun to be taken anyway. He's not done well on his exams, because he's not yet checked that he has to work if he wants to pass exams. We do just enough to get by, we could be loads better, but we are using our time at Hogwarts for better things than regular subjects," Fred admitted and George went on:

"But we do what we need to do. Ron just wants to hang around and play chess, talk Quidditch and eat as much as he can shove down his bottomless throat. He'll get his when mum sees his results!"

"Why don't you want to be better? I'm sure you could be brilliant, you're both very intelligent," Hermione asked.

"Oh, we're studying alright, just maybe not what we actually should, you know," said George and whistled.

Hermione understood.

"Well, the library stores a lot of information you don't directly need for the Hogwarts subjects," she replied, grinning.

"That's it, Hermione, dear, you've just said it. But don't tell our mum or we won't hear the end of it. Besides, a lot of our studying concerns business matters, which is knowledge we'll actually need if we ever want to open our own joke shop one day."

Hermione shook her head, but she didn't nag. She'd seen them do some sort of studies at the library on several occasions so she knew the twins did something, but left them alone, since they did something at all, unlike their still ignorant brother who bemoaned his fate to be the youngest of six boys who could never achieve anything because his older brothers had done it all.

"Ron's going to get some real trouble with your mum then?" Hannah asked.

"He won't be able to hide the fact that he's had less than satisfying grades in most of his subjects. And we'll rub it in that he will have to study if he wants to be someone."

"I have one problem with Ron, but that's a really big one," Neville threw in, "and that's his way of being the exact opposite of Theo Nott, bet he's going so far out that he's meeting Nott on the other end. He's so bigoted it hurts! If something doesn't fit into his very narrow model of things he won't tolerate it at all by calling it Dark. And that annoys me to no end."

"That's one part. The other is hat he's exceptionally rude, ignorant, clueless, lazy and unkempt. I've had the bad luck the other day to have to sit on the opposite side of the table when he ate. Yuck! Doesn't your mum berate him for that?" Hannah wanted to know.

"She does, but it doesn't really help. And we're no tattle tales, so we're not telling her to do it more often."

"I think you're doing right not to tell on him. You'd be lowering yourself to the levels of Percy," Hermione said.

"Exactly. And we can't do that! – Do you think we could meet your dads, Harry?"

"Of course. I'm sure they won't pull us out of the station in seconds flat. They'll have helped Dan and Emma to the platform, so we'll have some time to chat with them. I'm sure they want to meet our friends as well," Hannah said.

"I'm not sure whether they actually know your parents, but they know your oldest brothers. They said they were fifth years when Bill joined and seventh when Charlie started Hogwarts."

"Great. But you know why we really want to meet them… they're the Marauders! Well, we did meet your one dad, but that wasn't really meeting him, since he was there for professional reasons."

"Well, dad's become much more serious, papa said, because of his job. Knowing all about all those laws must rub off, but at home he's often still very silly," Hannah consoled the twins.

Sirius and Remus were indeed helping Emma and Dan to the platform. They waited with numerous other parents for the arrival of the school train, which took place shortly after five o'clock in the afternoon. As soon as the train stood still the doors were pushed open and the students spilled out of it. The platform soon looked like an ants' mound. Slowly the children found their parents or the parents the children. Harry and Hannah looked around and discovered their handsome father in the crowd. He stood out easily with his tall form and his long, shiny black hair. He beamed when he caught his little daughter in his arms. He welcomed her back with a tight hug, kisses on the cheeks and a whispered:

"I'm so glad to have you back again, love!"

"Hi daddy! I'm happy to be home for the holidays, too!"

Remus and Sirius had stood with a good number of other parents, the Grangers and some other witches and wizards. The respective children greeted them all and finally got together with the respective sets of parents. Sirius saw a sea of red heads very near them. Harry caught the twins' attention and called them over.

"Papa, daddy, these are Fred and George. You remember them, they filched the map from Filch," Harry introduced them.

Sirius and Remus shook the twins' hands and watched amusedly how the boys saluted them:

"Hail to the Marauders! We strive to scratch on your fame!"

Remus laughed and greeted the boys.

"We've heard quite a lot about the two of you from Harry and Hannah. I'm glad they also made some new friends."

"We've made loads of friends. We spent time with Draco and his friends from Hufflepuff and Padma and her friends from Ravenclaw, so we weren't only with the Gryffindors," Harry explained.

"That's great!"

"Are we going away together again this year, daddy?" asked Hannah.

"Yes, of course. Somewhere quite special. We'll spend our vacation in the Vendée, a part of the French Atlantic coast," said Emma.

"Sounds great!"

"In fact we'll leave from Gargle Island tomorrow. We are staying over and will use the ship from Jersey Island and then we'll pick up two rented cars."

The Black-Lupins and Grangers didn't hurry to leave the station. Sirius and Remus introduced the Grangers to some of their acquaintances the Grangers didn't know yet and they chatted for about an hour before the platform looked emptier because the families had started to filter out of it. A guard checked the situation so that not too many magical people fell into the main station at the same time. Finally it was time and they were let out to find their way home. Sirius and Dan flagged down taxis that drove them to the Leaky Cauldron, although the taxi drivers didn't actually know that. From the pub they flooed back home to Gargle Island.

After the long day on the train the children were quite exhausted. They didn't dispute their parents' decision to send them off to bed before nine o'clock and found their beds, Harry and Edgar in Harry's room, Hermione and Ophelia joined Hannah in hers, which left the guest room to Dan and Emma.

The next day saw the family packing what was to be taken along for their holiday and then they left, leaving Kisty to watch over the family pets. The children actually wondered, because usually the little elf joined them, but when they reached their destination in the late afternoon they quickly understood that she wasn't needed this time. They were going to stay in a small French château, which was now a very luxurious hotel.

They spent three glorious weeks of doing almost nothing, just having fun, going on little outings, playing in the swimming pool and in the surroundings of the house. The children enjoyed it as much as the adults did, especially since the adults were always there for them. Not even Hermione had tried to suggest homework to Harry or Hannah.

Nine very relaxed, tanned and happy Grangers and Black-Lupins returned to Gargle Island. The adults had their 'shagging time' as Harry put it very crudely and the children had been allowed to run wild.

They weren't back home for more than a week when the school owls arrived. Harry and Hannah studied the new book lists. While they wanted to go shopping immediately Remus told them that most probably the books weren't even available before the last two weeks before the new term started.

So instead of going shopping they invited Fred and George to Gargle. Mrs Weasley, upon hearing that, was quite put out and wanted the twins to take Ron along, but George flat out refused:

"Mum, he was really rude to Hannah, Harry and Hermione for most of the year. Do you really think they'll want him over? They clearly said they didn't."

Ron sat in the kitchen and had red ears when he heard this. His vacation so far had not been such a good one, because his father had not been pleased with his marks at all and had sat him down to catch up on his school work for a good part of the holidays. And for once Arthur had not allowed Molly to mollycoddle her youngest son, which meant that Ron actually did have to work through his first year books. The twins had not been brilliant either, but they had comfortably passed all of their subjects so they were left free for the most part.

Ginny had listened to them talking about the Potter children. She had been fed the stories about them by Molly from the earliest moments of her life and dreamed of meeting Harry Potter most every night of her life. She had collected all the little snippets from the newspapers and magazines whenever he had been mentioned for as long as she could remember. And like so many girls in the wizarding world she dreamed of one day becoming his bride. Molly did nothing to change her daughter's thoughts, even though she knew about them. She actually welcomed the opportunity of some of her children to befriend the Potter heir, because that would hopefully acquaint her with his guardians, so that she would be in time and position to offer a marriage contract between her daughter and the famed Boy-Who-Lived. She was aware that many other mothers probably schemed the same way and wanted to come in early. She was also aware that Arthur would have to be convinced, but she would do what she usually did, present him the done deed to sign and give him no time to think about it.

So she sent off the twins, reminding them to behave. Fred and George were welcomed warmly on the island. Sirius had given them the password to the Floo, which was set up for them personally, not allowing anyone else inside unless they had an invitation.

As was to be expected the twins took to the charm of the island as everyone else did. They spent a few wonderful hours together with all the other children and were amazed how many had been invited.

"There's always a bunch of us around. There are a few of us who come by regularly, have done so for ages. I think that Harry's guardians wanted a good group of children to see Harry as Harry and not the Boy-Who-Lived," Padma told George.

"Boy, that would to my mother good, she's fed our little sister stories about Harry for ages. I bet Ginny thinks she'll marry him one day," George snickered.

"Well, knowing Harry as we do we can imagine how he'd want a girl like *that* for his life-long partner!" Padma replied.

"I think he's already found his partner anyway," Fred speculated, glancing over to where Harry and Hermione sat at the table on the veranda, playing some game together.

"Parvati says so, too. She's already taught her dorm mate Lavender not even to try to wake Harry's interest."

George grinned.

"A nice girl, that Lavender, just a bit dim in some things. She's one for the façade, not the inside…"

"And Harry is all about the inside," Fred finished the sentence his twin had started.

Molly Weasley questioned the twins when they returned from Gargle. Like him she was quite astonished to hear that the Potter children weren't isolated on the island. That made her plan considerably more difficult, especially when Fred told her bluntly that Ginny would not even stand the point of a chance in pursuing the boy.

"I don't see why not – she's growing to be quite a beauty!" Molly exclaimed.

"He doesn't see that. He sees only what's inside, Mum, and Harry likes the girls just as they are – no facades. If he gets the whiff of a suspicion that someone likes him for his fame then he'll drop them immediately."

Fred hoped that she got his message, but his mother didn't really listen. She did listen when Ron told her later that Potter was only interested in one girl, as far as he could see, because she seemed to be his best friend, and that girl was the Muggle-born witch Hermione Granger. A Muggle-born and the saviour of the wizarding world? That would not do at all. She might have been a light witch, but Molly Weasley was a proud pure-blood. She might have been poor, but she held up the pride of the Gaunts when it came to her blood purity and while she was ready to accept everyone in friendship she would have been completely opposed to any of her children marrying outside of the pure-blooded society. When she told Fred that, he just grinned.

"Well, then you shouldn't try to snatch him up for Ginny, his mother was a Muggle-born witch as well as you should know. So there."

Harry himself was far from thinking about any kind of a future bride. He enjoyed his free time – the time Hermione left him off the hook from studying and doing their summer homework anyway and waited for the day when they would all go to Diagon Alley to shop.

One night a few nights before this planned outing he returned from dinner to his room when he stopped on his toes, seeing a house-elf he didn't know sitting on his bed.

"Hello…" he said, not knowing what to say or do.

The house-elf, and that it was one of those Harry had known immediately, because the creature greeting him with the lowest bow he had ever seen from anyone looked a lot like Kisty. Contrary to the always crisp looking Kisty this one here looked poorly, clothed in what looked like an old pillow case, with rips for arm and leg holes.

"Harry Potter!" the house-elf said in a high pitched voice. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir … such an honour it is…"

"Th-thank you," said Harry, but didn't know what to think of Dobby, so he asked:

"So, you're Dobby then. Is there a particular reason why you're here?"

"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. „Dobby has come to tell you, sir… it is difficult, sir … Dobby wonders where to begin…"

"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing to his bed.

To his horror, the elf burst into tears – very noisy tears.

"S-sit down?" he wailed. "Never … never ever…"

Harry didn't understand at all, so he said:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard – like an equal…"

Harry ushered Dobby back to the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At least he managed to control himself, and sat with his huge eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration.

"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.

Dobby shook his head, but in the next second he jumped up and started banging his head on the wall.

"Don't! What are you doing?" Harry asked, shocked.

„Dobby is punishing himself, Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…"

"Which family do you serve, Dobby? I take it they don't know you're here?"

"Oh, Dobby cannot give away their name… but they will never set Dobby free, he will have to serve them until he dies…"

"And no one can help you? Can't I? Or my dad? He's a lawyer with the ministry, you know, he knows all the laws!"

"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby… Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness Dobby never knew…"

Harry, who has feeling distinctly hot in the face, said:

"Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts, that's Hermione, she…"

But he stopped quickly, because Dobby interrupted him:

"Harry Potter is humble and modest," he said reverently. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He Who Must Not Be Named."

"Voldemort?" said Harry.

Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned. "Ah, speak not the name, sir, speak not the name!"

"Sorry, said Harry quickly, "I know some people don't like it."

"Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later, but Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!"

"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back – term starts on September the first. I have to learn! It's where I belong to, like all the other magical children!"

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts he will be in mortal danger!"

"Why?" said Harry in surprise.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"

"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head madly against the wall again.

"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't say, I understand, you're bound to your family after all. But why are you warning **me**?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on – this hasn't got anything to do with Vol – sorry – with You Know Who, has it? You could just shake or nod," he added hastily, as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.

Slowly, Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.

"Not – not He Who Must Not Be Named, sir."

But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry though, was completely at sea, but then he had an idea.

"Something with your master then?"

Dobby nodded eagerly, but jumped to bang his head against the wall again. This finally brought Sirius and Remus on the plan who had heard the strange noises, which were untypical for Harry coming from the boy's room.

Because Harry had been busy keeping Dobby away from the wall he still held strongly to the house elf, so Remus and Sirius both saw the distraught little elf.

"Dear me, aren't you one of the house-elves from the Malfoy estate?" Sirius asked.

Dobby desperately wanted to pop away, but he still nodded. This answer didn't betray his current masters so it didn't hurt him.

"What is your name, little one?" Sirius asked in a kindly tone, "you seem almost too young to have served the Malfoys, but I think I remember having seen you."

"Dobby, sir, but you may not ask any more questions of Dobby, Dobby must not betray his master's secrets."

"That's the nice thing for the master about house-elf bondage, isn't it? That keeps them from losing their servants as well as helping them being criminals. Do you know me, Dobby?"

"Dobby has seen young master Black at the Malfoy estate, sir."

"Well, then you probably know I am a lawyer for the Ministry?"

"Dobby knows well, sir. You is not liked in my master's household."

"What are you doing here then?"

"Dobby came to warn me from some evil plot that's supposed to happen to Hogwarts. I have no idea what it could be though. He thinks it's worse than anything I can imagine."

"Dobby, there is Professor Dumbledore who takes care that no harm will befall the children at Hogwarts," Remus threw in and continued: "Do you think that what will happen will be something one of the most powerful wizards of all times cannot handle?"

Dobby nodded eagerly again and repeated:

"Harry Potter must not be there when it takes place! He must not go to Hogwarts. There are powers that Dumbledore doesn't … powers no decent wizard …"

"I see. Harry will go to Hogwarts, Dobby, don't try to prevent it, we have been warned that something unusual is planned, so we will watch his back especially well. Please return to your family now," Remus said and Dobby complied with a last warning shot:

"Something terrible within the school. It's to be let loose!"

When Dobby had vanished with a loud pop, Sirius and Remus looked at each other. Harry looked at them expectantly.

"How come a house-elf can just turn up here? I know the Fidelius is gone, but the house is still unplottable."

"House-elves have that kind of power, Harry. They can pass through nearly everything. If you were ever in need of one of us Kisty could apparate into Hogwarts while no wizards or witches can ever apparate there," Remus explained kindly.

"That means that any dark wizard only has to send his house-elf here with the order to murder me?"

"That's true, but believe me that it is not common knowledge, so I need to ask you to be very held back with it towards others."

"Can we find out who Dobby's owners are through his name?"

"Yes, we can and I have already planned a visit at Amos Diggory's department tomorrow," Sirius replied, grinning. "That's why I asked his name. If he came from the Malfoys' estate he's probably been bought by another Death Eater family. I know we didn't get them all; there are the Notts, the Parkinsons, the Wilsons to name but a few who we couldn't really nail down."

The next day Sirius called upon Amos Diggory and asked for the house-elf register. Amos wanted to know why and Sirius told him about the strange appearance of a strange house-elf.

"This is in confidence, Amos, because if possible we want to have the little elf protected. He came to give us his warning upon the danger of his own life."

"Do you suspect some old Death Eater?" asked Amos.

"We'll see when I know who owns Dobby. I did get a positive answer from him when I asked if his warning was for something his master might have planned."

"That's worrying, Sirius!"

"It is. That's also why I'm coming straight away. My next stop will be with Amelia."

Amos took Sirius to the office where the records were kept. They looked Dobby's name up.

"Theodore Nott… not really a surprise there, is it?" Amos asked.

"Not really, no. I'll have him observed. That's what I want to discuss with Amelia and Rufus."

"Well, good luck. Would you mind keeping me informed about the affair, Sirius?"

"Not at all, but I'll come by personally when I have news, I won't send anything written, okay?"

"That's probably better."

"Thanks for your help, Amos."

Sirius went straight to Amelia Bones, who was waiting for him with Rufus Scrimgeour, the current Head Auror.

"Morning, Sirius. What's going that you called us both?"

Sirius related his story and told them about the planned plot for Hogwarts. Rufus looked up.

"Nott, you say?"

"Yes, he got off – much to my consternation I have to admit, I know he's a Death Eater."

"I always did, but he must have found a way around the Veritaserum."

"He wasn't questioned under the truth serum, Rufus. He managed to avoid that," said Amelia.

"Can you have him observed?" Sirius asked.

Rufus grinned.

"I can't tell you how thankful I am to get that opportunity, Sirius! I've wanted to do that for more than ten years."

"Have him followed then, I want to know what he's up to…"

Two days later one of the Aurors who was shadowing Theodore Nott reported to Sirius.

"Hey, Shack! How's it going?"

"Hello, Sirius! Not bad, we're following him 24/7 and seemingly he hasn't noticed anything. Tonks can change herself to so many different looks she's great at shadowing. She's found out he's keeping contraband and we wanted to know from you if you will allow us to go on a little raid."

"Don't haste, Kingsley. Before you give the game away we want to know what he's up to regarding Hogwarts."

"Okay. Do you think you'll need protection when you take your kids to Diagon Alley?"

"I don't think so, thanks. We should be fine, but it would be good to know that some of you guys are patrolling the Alley."

"Will do!"

When the day came Sirius and Remus both went with the children to Diagon Alley. They had Harry, Hannah and Hermione with them. The twins stayed at Gargle with Kisty. They were able to get all their shopping done when they arrived at their last stop in Flourish & Blotts. Sirius groaned when he saw the posters announcing a book signing with Gilderoy Lockhart, a well-known wizarding author who sold books like peas. But he wasn't in the mood to come back again later on.

In the meantime Dora Tonks was following her target to Knockturn Alley. She was astonished that he had his son along with him. When Nott went into the Borgin and Burkes, she quickly slipped into the shop behind them, disillusioning herself completely. Nott went to the counter, his son in tow and Tonks managed to hide in a big old cabinet. The shop owner wasn't anywhere close. She watched as the young Mr. Nott stretched out his hand to touch a glass eye when the elder Nott hissed:

"Touch nothing, Theodore."

Nott, turning away from the eye disappointedly, whined: "I thought you were going to buy me a present."

"I said I would buy you a racing broom," said his father, drumming his fingers impatiently on the counter after having rang a bell.

"What's the good of that if I'm not in the house team?" said Nott, looking sulky and bad-tempered. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's **famous** … famous for having a stupid **scar** on his forehead!"

Nott bent down to examine a shelf full of skulls.

"… everyone thinks he's so **smart**, wonderful **Potter** with his **scar** and his **broomstick** …"

"You have told me that at least a dozen times already," said Mr. Nott, with a quelling look at his son, "and I would remind you that it is not – prudent – to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear – ah, Mr. Borgin."

A stooping man had appeared behind the counter, smoothing his greasy hair back from his face.

"Mr. Nott, what a pleasure to see you again," said Mr. Borgin in a voice as oily as his hair. "Delighted – and young Mr. Nott, too – charmed. How may I be of assistance? I must show you, just in today, and very reasonably priced – "

"I'm not buying today, Mr. Borgin, but selling," said Mr. Nott.

"Selling?" the smile faded slightly from Mr. Borgin's face.

"You have heard, of course, that the Ministry is conducting more raids," said Mr. Nott, taking a roll of parchment from his inside pocket and unravelling it for Mr. Borgin to read. "I have a few – ah – items that might embarrass me if the Ministry were to call."

Mr. Borgin fished a pince-nez to his nose and looked down at the list.

"The Ministry wouldn't presume to trouble you, sir, surely?"

Mr. Nott's lip curled.

"I have not been visited yet, but with the likes of young Black and that snivelling Bones woman in power I wouldn't hold out for my name to stall them much longer. There are rumours about a new Muggle Protection Act – no doubt that flea-bitten, Muggle-loving fool Arthur Weasley is behind it –"

Tonks felt a strong surge of anger.

"– and as you can see, certain of these poisons might make it **appear** –"

"I understand, sir, of course," said Mr. Borgin, "Let me see…"

"Can I have **that**?" interrupted Theodore, pointing at a withered hand placed on a cushion.

"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" said Mr. Borgin, abandoning Mr. Nott's list and scurrying over to Theo. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir!"

"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," said Mr. Nott coldly and Mr. Borgin said quickly: "No offence, sir, no offence meant –"

"Though if his school marks don't pick up," said Mr. Nott , more coldly still, "that may be all he is fit for."

"It's not my fault," retorted Theo, "The teachers all have favourites, and that Hermione Granger and Harry Potter…"

"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family and a boy of mixed heritage beat you in every exam," snapped Mr. Nott.

'Ha!' thought Tonks, pleased to see young Nott both abashed and angry.

"It's the same all over," said Mr. Borgin, in his oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere –"

"Not with me, I assure you," said Mr. Nott, his dark eyes flashing.

"No, sir, nor with me, sir," said Mr. Borgin, with a deep bow.

"In that case, perhaps we can return to my list," said Mr. Nott shortly. "I am in something of a hurry, Borgin, I have important business elsewhere today."

They began to haggle, which took some time, then Mr. Nott said: "Done; come, Theodore."

While they turned to leave, Mr. Nott said: "Good day to you, Mr. Borgin, I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."

The moment the doors closed, Mr. Borgin dropped his oily manner:

"Good day yourself, Mr. Nott, and if the stories are true you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your **manor**…"

Once Mr. Borgin had left, Tonks climbed out of her hiding spot and quickly followed the Notts again.

The Black-Lupin family had met up with the Weasleys, especially with Fred and George, as had been fixed between the children before. Tonks met up with them shortly while she kept watch on the Notts, who were shopping at the Quidditch shop. The family had reached Gringotts, because the Weasleys still needed to get to the bank.

"Guess where I followed Nott just now, Sirius," she said.

"Where?"

"Borgin and Burkes…"

"Oh – did he buy anything?" asked Mr. Weasley, all of a sudden alert.

"No, he was selling. Poisons the Ministry could find interesting if I gathered it right from what they talked."

"Ah! So he's worried," said Mr. Weasley with grim satisfaction. "Oh, I'd love to get Theodore Nott for something…"

"You be careful, Arthur," said Mrs Weasley sharply, as they were ushered into the bank by a bowing goblin at the door. "That family is trouble, don't go biting off more than you can chew."

"So you don't think I'm a match for Theodore Nott?" said Mr. Weasley indignantly.

"Leave the Notts to us, Mr. Weasley. They're already under surveillance," whispered Tonks next to the Weasley patriarch.

"Ah! That's good news."

While they waited for the Weasleys to return from the bank Tonks asked Kingsley to try and convince Borgin to help them so they could raid the Notts the next day.

The party reached the bookshop just as the book signing started as stated on the large banner across the upper windows:

"GILDEROY LOCKHART

Will be signing copies of his autobiography

MAGICAL ME

Today 12.30 – 4.30 pm"

"This is the author of almost all of our new books here on the list," Hermione said excitedly. "Great, we can meet him!"

"I wouldn't be too pleased, Hermione, he's quite the fraud. Believe me, at least 90% of what he wrote actually belongs into the realm of fiction!" Remus warned her.

"Do you know him?" she asked.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"Do we know him? Oh yes, we do know him! Let's just say that compared to him Xenophilius Lovegood is definitely absolutely normal and sticks to the facts!" Sirius said with a laugh.

Then he asked:

"There are books of his on your school list?"

"Seven of them actually, daddy," said Hannah.

Remus and Sirius shared a look.

"SEVEN? You don't need seven schoolbooks for one year! Who would set this rubbish as their course material?" Sirius asked.

"We'll find out, I guess. But it can't be a good choice of teacher," Remus replied with conviction.

"Must be a woman. They love his books," Sirius muttered.

A long queue had already formed in front of the bookshop when they were finally able to get inside. At the back of the shop Gilderoy Lockhart was signing his books. The kids each grabbed a copy of "Break with a Banshee" and sneaked up the line to where the Weasley matriarch had already taken up excited position in the queue, holding her favourite book reverently in her arm.

"Oh, there you are, good," said Mrs Weasley. She sounded breathless and kept patting her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute."

"Question is: do we…" started George.

"… really want to see him? He looks queer on these pictures… sorry, Padfoot, no offence to you guys meant…" finished Fred.

Sirius laughed.

"None taken. He's giving every pouf a bad name!"

The kids laughed and Mrs Weasley looked completely shocked. She looked at Sirius disapprovingly and stated:

"You do not use such crude terms in front of my children, Mr. Black!"

"Pardon me, Madam, I'm just giving it the name it deserves. If anyone is allowed to use such 'crude' terms as you call them, then it's us – we are, after all, gay. So's this creature over there, only his homosexuality is most probably a very unhealthy one…"

She looked completely shocked.

"How… how can you say something so horrible?" she spluttered.

"Because I know him quite well, believe me. He's been at school at the same time as we were – a Slytherin, too. Yes, I know, you wouldn't know that fact, because he carefully obscures it when asked. And he's tried to get in my pants at least once a week. But I was never interested and usually hexed him away from me. I'd not trust him as far as I could throw him," Sirius said calmly.

Mrs Weasley wasn't ready to believe anything like that. She kept on spluttering that Sirius should read his books to know that he wasn't 'this way' and to claim that was just wrong. Sirius shrugged his shoulders and replied:

"Seeing is believing, I guess. But I don't believe anything he mutters, inside or outside of his books. He's queer and I'm sure not a word is actually correct in any of these books."

Nevertheless, Lockhart slowly came into view, seated at a table surrounded by large pictures of his own face, all winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth at the crowd. The real Lockhart was wearing robes of forget-me-not blue, which exactly matched his eyes; his pointed wizard's hat was set at a jaunty angle on his wavy hair.

A short, irritable looking man was dancing around taking photos with a large black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every binding flash.

"Out of the way there," he snarled at Ron, moving back to get a better shot. "This is for the Daily Prophet."

"Big deal," said Ron sullenly, rubbing his foot where the photographer had stepped on it.

Gilderoy Lockhart heard him. He looked up. He saw Ron and not far behind him he spotted Harry. He stared. Then he leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be **Harry Potter**!"

The crowd parted, whispering excitedly. Before anyone could stop him Lockhart dived forward, seized Harry's arm and pulled him to the front. The crowd burst into applause. Harry's face burned as Lockhart shook his hand for the photographer, who was clicking away madly, wafting his thick smoke over the Weasleys and the rest of their party.

Sirius quickly pushed people aside, but until he finally got to the front, Lockhart had already taken the chance.

"Nice big smile, Harry," said Lockhart, through his own gleaming teeth, "Together, you and I are worth the front page."

"Leave me alone, you brute," Harry cried, not intending to comply at all. "I don't need you to make front page, as you know and my dad will have your hide for this!"

"Indeed he will. Let my son go, Lockhart. I see you're still the same old. If you do not unhand Harry right this minute I'll have you arrested for assaulting a minor," Sirius said calmly.

The photographer went wild. Sirius rounded on him next:

"Just one of those photos in your rag any time and I'll sue the Daily Prophet for all its worth! You know very well that I've banned all media contact for Harry and Hannah unless I want to give a statement or allow them an interview. Are we clear?"

With a wave of his wand, Remus destroyed the photos in the camera.

"No photos now, so much is for sure," he stated calmly to his lover.

Sirius and the Weasley twins grinned. Hermione looked scandalised at first. She was giving Lockhart the benefit of the doubt, but once she heard Sirius's story she was likely to believe him and Remus. If they had gone to school with the man…

Hannah was outraged. How could he just grab her brother? He obviously wanted some of Harry's fame!

Lockhart stood, completely consternated and didn't know what to say for a moment, but then he caught himself and stood to address the adoring public:

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, waving for quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!

"When young Harry there stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, he only wanted to buy my autobiography – which I shall be happy to present him now, free of charge – " the crowd applauded again, "– he had **no** idea," Lockhart continued, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than only my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolfellows will, in fact, be getting the real, magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have the great pleasure and pride in announcing that, this September, I will be taking up the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

The crowd cheered and clapped and Harry found himself presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart. He managed to throw one or two of the books into Lockhart's face and get away though, but being cut off from his family was forced to go to the edge of the room where Ginny Weasley stood next to her new cauldron.

"You have these," Harry mumbled to her, tipping the books into the cauldron. "Dad'll **buy** my own."

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" said a voice Harry had no trouble recognising. He straightened up and found himself face to face with Theodore Nott who was wearing his usual sneer.

"**Famous** Harry Potter," said Nott. "Can't even go into a **bookshop** without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny fiercely.

"Potter, you've got yourself a **girlfriend**!" drawled Nott. Ginny went scarlet, as Hermione, Hannah, Sirius and Remus and the rest of the Weasleys fought their way over to them.

"Oh, it's you," said Ron, looking at Nott as if he were something unpleasant under the sole of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised to see you in a shop, Weasley," retorted Nott, "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for that lot."

Ron went as red as Ginny. He dropped his books into the cauldron, too, and started towards Nott, but the twins held him back by the back of his jacket.

"Ron!" said Mr. Weasley, struggling over. "What are you doing? It's mad in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well – Arthur Weasley."

It was Mr. Nott. He stood with his hand on Theo's shoulder, sneering in just the same way. He hadn't seen Sirius and Remus yet.

"Theodore," said Mr. Weasley, nodding coldly.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Nott. "All those raids… I hope they're paying you overtime?"

He reached into Ginny's cauldron and extracted, from amidst the glossy Lockhart books, a very old, very battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

"Obviously not," he said. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Nott," he said.

"Indeed we do," muttered Sirius, watching every move Nott made.

"Clearly," Nott said, his eyes straying to Emma and Dan Granger, standing a bit at the side and watching apprehensively. "The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower –"

There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Nott, knocking him backwards into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of "Get him, dad!" from Fred or George; Mrs Weasley was shrieking, "No, Arthur, no!"; the crowd stampeded backwards, knocking more shelves over; "Gentlemen, please – please!" cried the assistant and then, louder than all, "Break it up, there, gents, break it up – "

Hagrid was wading towards them through the sea of books and people. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Nott apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Nott had been hit in the eye by an 'Encyclopaedia of Toadstools'. He was still holding Ginny's old transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.

"Here, girl – take your book – it's the best your father can give you –"

"Better than anything you could give me any day," Ginny muttered, loud enough for the crowd close to her to hear. She was quite pleased that her father had given this evil man a good few punches.

Pulling himself out of Hagrid's tight grip Nott beckoned Theo and swept from the shop. Sirius immediately thought that something was quite fishy here.

"Did this man buy anything at the shop, sir?" he asked the still consternated looking shop assistant.

"No, I don't think he did. I've seen him and his son the other day buying the boy's school equipment."

"Oh, since he certainly wouldn't be coming for Lockhart's book signing he didn't really come in to buy any book…" Sirius muttered.

The brawl had taken away all the attention from Lockhart's announcement. It even slipped from Sirius' mind for a moment, as he watched the scene between Nott and Weasley. In his mind he congratulated Arthur to his reaction. He still mused over the possible motivation Nott had to step into the bookshop. Even though he knew Lockhart as a former classmate, he wouldn't have come in for the fop's books, Sirius was sure about that.

Kingsley, in his function as an Auror, was able to re-establish order in the shop. He had watched Nott's every movement and once the man had left the shop he would be followed by Tonks again. Kingsley came over and got Remus' attention.

"Have a look at those books there, Remus. I'm pretty sure I saw him slipping something in the girl's book."

"You did? – well, that shall be looked into right now."

Sirius looked up. So that must have been it, he must have tried to do just that.

"That's why he's just left without having the last word," he said aloud.

"May I have a look at your books, Miss Weasley, especially the one that Mr. Nott just had in his hand?" Kingsley asked kindly.

Looking at him shyly, Ginny gave him the book. Kingsley shook it and out fell a small, black book. Sirius picked it up immediately and turned it around. It was a non-assuming little book that had a date fifty years prior and the name of a bookstore in Vauxhall Road on the cover and back and nothing else. How would Nott have got what was obviously a diary from a Muggle shop? Sirius mused. He opened it and found no writing in the book other than a faded T M Riddle on the first page in it.

"This is more than strange. I'll have to have a closer look at it, Kingsley, but something with this book is fishy. Minutes ago he ranted about Arthur and his Muggle Protection Act and now he's putting something into Arthur's daughter's school things? That alone cries something is up especially with something carrying the name T M Riddle inside."

"Do you know that name?"

"Kings, you're an Auror and you don't know it? It's Voldemort's real name," Remus said, exasperatedly, but quietly.

"You mean to tell me that monster actually had an honest-to-god-real name?" Kingsley whispered.

"Let me assure you that he was indeed not born Voldemort and definitely **not** a Lord. He fabricated title and name because he had a more than unhealthy craving for admiration," Remus, ever the scholar, replied and then his voice grew a bit louder:

"Does no one here know about the backgrounds of one Lord Voldemort, whose real name Tom Marvolo Riddle was discarded early on when he was still at school even, because dear Tom didn't want people to know that he had **no** pureblood background?"

People all around him shuddered.

"Oh really! It's just a name," Hermione cried out when even Lockhart was shaking.

"But what a terrible name, young Miss. We do not speak it!" someone said with as much dignity as she could muster.

Remus laughed.

"Voldemort. It's taken from the French words vol de mort and literally means Flight of Death. All it tells you is that the individual making it up was afraid of dying."

"But he is dead now…" someone remarked.

"Oh no, he isn't – that's just what the Minister wants you sheeople to believe. Take heed that I said the 'Minister', not the 'Ministry'. Though he'd like it to be otherwise only a small group of Ministry officials actually agree on most things with Fudge," Sirius said with relish.

"What? No! That's impossible. Your own ward defeated him ten years ago!" People were speaking up, pointing at Harry, and Remus took the opportunity to plant a little seed of doubt about that fact into people's minds.

"No, Harry didn't 'defeat' him. All we know is that a killing curse bounced off the baby and hit the surprised caster instead. Voldemort had already gone very far in assuring he wouldn't die right away and so he couldn't die fully. He left, a powerless spirit. We know that he can possess people as well as snakes because we've seen it happen last school year at Hogwarts when he had possession of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher – which is what you're up against now, dear Gilderoy, and I hope you'll thoroughly enjoy the experience – but he is definitely not fully dead."

Lockhart started to look decidedly uncomfortable. Someone looked at Remus with more interest.

"How do you know that?"

"By looking into the facts and separating them from fiction, sir. As you know we've been closely involved with his disappearance. And we don't believe everything that finds its way into the Daily Prophet."

Sirius interrupted. He had been thinking about the Horcruxes and the book could possibly be such a terrible item. So now he asked around:

"Who has followed the exchange between Mr. Nott and Miss Weasley?"

A few people spoke up.

"May we collect your memory of that for the investigation? By looking at the memories we might find prove that this item has been placed in Miss Weasley's book rather than having been in there before."

Sirius was aware that the event had taken place in a very public place and he intended to make use of the fact. It also meant that he had to let out some information, which he was able to carefully choose, but which would help him with the Minister, who would have a hard time to dispel it if it went out of the shop and into the public. Sirius didn't agree with the Hogwarts headmaster about extreme secrecy. He thought if people knew about the human (or rather non-human, but man-made) background of the un-person then they would be more ready to kick his arse the next time he tried to show his ugly snake face. Sirius had matured and he had occasionally been working together with the DMLE's more seasoned Auror leaders in the past ten years, too. He knew they would be more than ready to take the fight to the Death Eaters this time and not wait for them to attack before they were allowed to react. He had Kingsley collect the memories. He knew that the more memories he got with the permission of the on-lookers, who were aware of the fact that to see a memory up close could bring forth many more facts than they could have consciously remembered, the easier it would be to convince Fudge that his financial backer was nothing but a Death Eater.

"After so many years I may get hold of the last one before Pettigrew," Sirius whispered to Arthur.

"That would be wonderful. He's the main influence on those who still vote against the necessary laws that would hold up stability and grant equal rights to everyone," Arthur replied with a sigh.

"Exactly. Arthur, I know it would put you in a bad light because you actually started that brawl, but you also looked, may we have your memory, too?"

"Gladly. I'm quite sure that he did provoke the fight deliberately anyway."

"I would agree."

The children had dispersed to get the other books on their lists. Remus accompanied them now and went with them to pay for the books, too. Dan and Emma followed suit to pay for Hermione's books. They were still shaking their heads about the open racism that hadn't been challenged by anyone but Sirius, Remus, Arthur and Kingsley. They were especially disappointed by the lack of support Arthur got from his wife. They had never met the Weasleys before, except for George and Fred whom they liked a lot. They had quickly figured that the twins took only one thing very seriously: their pranking. And that they learned everything to become better at it. They were quite pleased to see that even their exacting daughter seemed to like them a lot.

Lockhart had lost his moment and seethed at Sirius. He knew that he wouldn't be able to bring down the scion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Blacks, so he quietly grumped about the injustice that had brought Sirius into the shop on his big day. Even his gracious gift had been denied! And Sirius had even parted with a threat that he would bring his book list to review by the school governors. He would ruin his biggest income in the whole year! Three hundred schoolchildren who all had to buy seven of his books would bring in quite a lot of money and he urgently needed it to pay his personal tailor! How else would he get the high quality coloured robes he always wore? He could afford losing many things, but not his tailor and not his hair-charmer! He barely managed his make-up charms, so his hair was always left to his hair-charmer. It had to sit perfectly at all times!

He was quite distracted while he tried to put up his fake smile to sign all these witches' books. Dear me, how they threw themselves into position in front of him! They would have let him screw them right on the floorboards of the bookshop if he only asked them to do it. Oh, but he would never soil himself with a woman!

However, his big announcement had been covered up and shoved to the back by a common brawl! He couldn't believe it and considered suing Weasley and Nott for stealing his lamplight.

Meanwhile, Kingsley had collected the memories of the Black-Lupin/Weasley company as well as those of about twenty bystanders. He grinned at Sirius:

"You can be sure that we'll watch these so closely that we won't miss the moment when he put it inside of her book, Sirius."

"Thanks, Kings. That will be a lot of work, but it might just be worth it. Nott sits in the Board of School Governors and I'd like to get him out of that as well."

"I think he's got a good number of enemies that one. With most of the others gone he's become the leader of the minority and not a very good one either."

"Just what I'm thinking. I know I should give this to you as evidence, but if it is what I think it is we'll have to make it harmless first. I can't utter a word about its significance, Kings, there are other items the same as this – not the same item, but the same nasty treatment. We'll need to find these in the near future to be able to get rid of the evil spirit afterwards. That's when Harry can truly start to live a normal life."

"Poor dear… I will tell Amelia about it. She might want to be informed of the significance it has, Sirius!"

"That's fine with me, but she'll have to meet me at Gargle or somewhere else safe, because this is not going out anywhere."

"I can't help but wondering. It looks perfectly innocent to me."

"It is – until you start writing in it, I'd bet. If it is what I think it is then this thing is extremely dangerous to anyone not aware of the treatment. To hand this to a young girl, even more so one who would think it perfectly fine to write in it is an act of utmost cruelty, believe me."

"Will you tell me when it's over?"

"I will. You'll be able to keep quiet about it. I don't even want this mentioned in public when it's all over."

"That must be truly horrific then."

"It is."

"You really are at the forefront of this fight then, aren't you? First with the trials, then with the laws and now again with this…" Kingsley remarked.

"I am, but it became very personal when he murdered the only people I regarded as family apart from Remus. So I'll be there when he goes down, believe you me!"

"Woe to the fellow then. I know there's nothing that stops you when you really get going," Kingsley said, grinning again.

"And I can even be dead Sirius about it, too," Sirius replied, wearing the same grin.

They both laughed. Sirius joined his family again and they continued their shopping trip through the Alley. They finally parted ways when the Weasleys left through the Leaky Cauldron floo to their home and followed on to Gargle, from where the Grangers, now complete again after picking up Edgar and Ophelia returned to their own home in Oxford.

Sirius and Remus sent the children off to bed at eight and then Sirius took out the diary.

"I'm pretty sure this is one, Remus. I'm feeling the compulsion to write in it, but won't – if it is a Horcrux then it holds half of Voldemort's soul. I'm sure this was his first one, the date should be about right, 1942…"

"Better take it to Grimmauld, Siri," Remus whispered, as if the diary could hear him.

"Yes, that's what I'm going to do right now. I'll also inform Dumbledore. We'll see how we can destroy it. That book tells us how, but I didn't learn it by heart, so I'll have to check it again. I don't want to be alone when I do it."

"I'm coming along. Kisty can watch out for the children for the evening."

"Thanks, Remus."

"I can't always take the easy way out, love, and you might need someone to pull you out, you never know."

They informed the house-elf and left to Sirius' parental home where they laid the diary on a table. Sirius floo called the headmaster.

"Sirius?"

"We need you here at Grimmauld for a moment, Albus."

"That sounds urgent?"

"It is, believe me. More important than urgent though."

"Okay, let me pass through then."

Dumbledore reached Grimmauld Place a moment later and asked:

"Well, what is so important?"

"We are sure that we have one of the things, Albus," Remus said and pointed to the diary.

Albus looked at the diary. Then he picked it up, turned it in his hands and noticed the address in Muggle London. And when he opened the book to read a bit he saw the name on the first page, he was sure the young men were on the right track.

"How did you find this?"

"We found it because Theodore Nott senior was trying to pin it to young Miss Ginny Weasley today. We have had a warning that something terrible would be happening at Hogwarts this year and since that warning came from one of Nott's house-elves we took it very seriously. We've had him shadowed since then and today one of the Aurors on this duty has followed him into Borgin and Burke's, where he handed a list of poisons he wants to sell to Borgin. We've also had Kingsley with us who observed him as well while we shopped. At the bookstore there was a little brawl with Arthur, which Nott deliberately provoked. When he got himself out he stuck this into one of Ginny's books. Thought we wouldn't notice, but of course we were watchful of his every move and found it right away. Ever since then I've felt the compulsion to use it and to write in it."

"Yes, I'm feeling it myself. Not a good thing, Sirius. We should destroy it as quickly as we can."

"I'm just about to get the book from the library where I found the information on them Horcruxes…"

The three of them studied the short entrance in the book and found that there were several options. They could use basilisk venom, fiendfyre or a Goblin made item as these were the substances strong enough to eliminate Horcruxes.

"Any of you met a basilisk lately?" Sirius quipped.

Dumbledore and Remus both grinned, but Remus gave a halt:

"Before we destroy this: be aware that it was something that was supposed to put something at Hogwarts in motion. It must be something that's already there and this seems to be the key to unleash it. So – what could be at Hogwarts that's a dormant threat? Maybe it could be eliminated if we let this take its course…"

"Remus! How can you even suggest…" Sirius was shocked.

"No! Really! We would have to supervise it closely, but we might be able to find out some things that we need to have a hold on to eliminate them in the future. What could there be at Hogwarts that's a threat to everyone, but especially Muggle-borns?"

Dumbledore scratched his beard.

"You are on to something there, Remus. I admit to be scared even thinking about it, but it might be an opportunity to cleanse the castle. The only thing that comes to my mind – and this is in relation to Riddle – is the Chamber of Secrets. Numerous people have tried to find it in the past, but no one has ever even got close."

"Isn't it only a myth?" Remus asked.

Both he and Sirius had grown up with stories of that Chamber and knew that it was believed to have been a very successful red herring planted by Salazar Slytherin when he left the other three Hogwarts founders. But Dumbledore crushed their hopes:

"No, I'm afraid, it isn't, Remus. The Chamber has actually been opened fifty years ago. And the one to open it was Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Ah – that brings the date on the diary and Riddle's stint at Hogwarts together," concluded Sirius quickly.

"Exactly. The more a reason to find everything about that Chamber we can find. Let me tell you all about the events back then. The year was 1942 and I was a Transfigurations teacher when we suddenly had some attacks on Muggle-born students, which resulted in two students and a teacher petrified and culminated in one young girl actually killed. Her body was found in a toilet on the second floor, where her ghost still roams – you might know her, she's known as Moaning Myrtle."

"Oh yes, and I know the very toilet she haunts. We were always using it because no one ever went there. So it was a good meeting point," Sirius said, grinning broadly.

"I do think we should take this along and then pay dear Myrtle a visit. No one ever questioned her ghost…"

The three of them flooed to the headmaster's office and went down to find the defunct girls' toilet on the second floor, where Dumbledore called for Myrtle.

She was actually there and looked as sad as ever. Dumbledore, after some kind preliminaries, went to the flesh on the bone:

"Dear Myrtle, may I ask you to think back to the day when you actually died?"

She shuddered.

"Oooh, it was terrible, Professor! I was sitting in here, crying, because that dreadful Olive Hornby had been very mean to me again, teasing me about my glasses, and then I heard someone coming in, starting to whisper something and I noticed it was a boy! He was talking in what sounded a different language, it sounded very funny anyway, so I was just getting ready to tell him off for coming into the girls' toilets when there were these big huge yellow eyes looking at me – and that's when I died. I don't know how, Professor, I swear."

"You can't know, I'm afraid. Where did these eyes come from, can you show me that?"

"Over there somewhere I think. I had only just opened the door, so I can't tell you for sure."

"I'm still sorry that this happened to you, my dear girl. I always hated to lose students to death!"

"It's not your fault, sir," Myrtle said, but started wailing.

"No, it may not be, but we were still responsible, being the staff of Hogwarts. – Now, do you know who the boy was?"

"He wasn't speaking very loudly, but I think I may have recognised the Slytherin prefect – he was a fifth year? Tom something?"

All three looked relieved. They had just solved the Mystery that had cost Hagrid his life as a proper wizard. Sirius was at that moment determined to have his right to education and to using a wand reinstated. Dumbledore followed the direction the girl had pointed out. He looked at a row of sinks and all three men started to look for anything special on and around the sinks. Finally Remus saw it: a tiny snake scratched into the copper of one tap. He pointed it out:

"Here! I'm sure that must be it!"

Sirius and Dumbledore came over. The image of the snake sparked something in Dumbledore.

"Now it becomes clear why no one ever found the Chamber – only someone blessed with a Slytherin gift could have opened it. I'm sure we're standing before something enchanted in Parseltongue. But what could be inside?"

"Well, I'd bet it's something that has to do with snakes, too…" Sirius said mindlessly.

Remus grinned.

"Any of you met a basilisk lately?" he quipped.

All three of them laughed. But then Dumbledore became very serious again. He looked at his two young companions and said:

"Let's return to the privacy of my office and discuss our options."

Once they sat in a comfortable round, Dumbledore called a house-elf to bring the four heads of houses to him. They arrived soon and Dumbledore related their findings.

"Now that we have found the Chamber, do you think we should see if this monster is still in there and how we can rid ourselves of it?"

"We'd need a Parselmouth who is trustworthy. I don't think I've ever met such a person. That said I've never met a Parselmouth at all," said Pomona.

"Actually you have – both in one even," Sirius retorted with a grin.

"I have? How can you know this?"

"Remember my ward? Small, wild black hair, glasses, green eyes? That's him. Harry has been touched by Voldemort through this blasted curse and ever since he's been able to talk to snakes. Knows every single one of them on our island and keeps looking after them."

"Oh! I never knew…"

"We asked him not to talk freely about it. You know very well how everyone regards Parselmouths with suspicion. Harry himself enjoys the gift because he says it made him some great little friends. He could open the chamber for us."

"But that would be so dangerous. What if that basilisk jumps right out of it?" Andy asked.

"Well, we know who the greatest enemy of a big, scary basilisk is, don't we? After all we learned our lessons in Defence against the Dark Arts, didn't we?" Remus asked back with a slight sneer in Dumbledore's direction.

"I think, I do remember that they aren't very fond of roosters…" Filius said.

"Exactly. We could have him open it and throw a couple of roosters in – and then just wait, they're bound to crow at some point," Sirius stated.

"Errr, Siri, I think that won't work – they need daylight to crow. Do you think you have any light down there?" Remus asked.

"Darn. There goes my simple idea."

"We'll have to take Harry along. With no one else there he could try to communicate with the beast. We do need to cover up our eyes and cover them well…" Remus suggested.

"Are you out of your mind, Remus? Harry is much too small to do something like that," Minerva intervened.

"And he's a wiry, strong little one with a good head on his shoulders. I don't think he'll be a liability down there. We all go together. I'm sure with the help of a little Imperius on the roosters this basilisk – if it is even still alive – should be defeated quickly."

"Oh, the potions ingredients we'd be able to harvest from a basilisk of this age…" Andy said dreamily.

All others grinned at her. She looked like a Muggle who had just found the biggest nugget on earth.

"What?" she started. "Can't you see how we could sell a part of them and use the money for Hogwarts? It would benefit greatly…"

"Yes, we all agree on that, but don't dissect your basilisk before we have it, dear," Dumbledore replied, smiling. Then he cautioned: "This will need to be planned out well, however."

"Absolutely. And then I'm going to take down the last of Voldemort's inner circle, Theodore Nott, the only one slippery enough to evade Ministry prosecution."

"After so many years? How do you plan to do that?" Minerva asked.

"Oh, it won't be too difficult. All I need is to give a good look at these memories we collected tonight and at least a few of them will have seen Nott placing that diary here into Ginny's cauldron. And that will grant me the right to use Veritaserum on him. Once he's under a good dose of it, repeatedly if necessary, he'll spill the rest of his crimes. If we're lucky we might get rid of Fudge and his cronies at the same time."

"In the meantime we'd actually have a few other options for a Minister, unlike back at the time he became the Minister. It would be a good opportunity," Filius agreed, "especially if you caught out that Umbridge woman as well…"

Remus could only agree with that. Loudly.

Having a lot of Goblin blood in his veins, Filius was always very outspoken in his opinions and actions towards the pureblood and Death Eater factions. He didn't tolerate any of them and because he quelled any fights in his classes quickly and deftly he never had problems with his students.

"Let's solve one problem after the other, dears," Dumbledore warned.

"What is so dangerous about this little book that it could bring Nott down, Sirius?" Minerva asked.

"This? It doesn't look dangerous, does it? But it contains half of Voldemort's soul."

"What?" four voices shrieked.

"Voldemort has placed a part of his soul into this container. And he did this when he was still a student here at Hogwarts. This once belonged to him."

"That blasted child!" Filius whispered, recognising the name in the diary instantly. "I always thought something was not right with this boy."

Dumbledore summoned a quill. He handed it to Sirius and said:

"I presume my writing would be recognised immediately. But you can do it without raising suspicion. Why don't you start writing something in the diary? I'm sure it will respond in some way. There are enough people in this room to pull you out if need be."

"Rather let Remus do it, he's way better with clever words than I am…" Sirius suspected.

Remus picked the quill up and took the booklet. When he set the quill to the paper he almost felt the book pulsating in his hand.

"I think there's a compelling charm on it – it really wants me two write something down…" he remarked.

"Hello diary," he wrote. "I got this today and though it seems to be old and used I thought that since it didn't have anything in it I could use it to note things that happened during my days."

The moment he stopped writing the ink vanished and all of them stared in surprise as something wrote itself on the page.

"Hello there! Who might you be?" they read.

Remus took a big breath and wrote:

"I'm Sally. Now, this is rather surprising! Who would you be?"

"My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"That's the name stated in the book…"

"Yes, I own this book."

"How does this work? I mean, I never saw a book like that before, and believe me, I love to read, I've come across many books before."

"Would you tell me how old you are?"

"I'm 15. I've just entered my fifth year at Hogwarts now."

"So you are at Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful. That's where I belong to, you know!"

"You do? Why?"

"Oh, just because that's where I get most of my energy."

"I've never heard anything about a Tom Marvolo Riddle though. Strange name you have, too. Sounds very Muggle, apart from the Marvolo part. That's not very Muggle at all."

"Can you tell me the date?"

"12th October 1992."

A few snickers were heard from the teachers. They grinned at how easily Remus wrote down very blatant lies, which, of course, couldn't be detected by the soul part encased in the diary.

"Ah, that would be why. I've been at Hogwarts in the early 1940s, you see."

"Yes, I see. That's quite a while ago. Well, I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun corresponding with you this way. How do you come out here at all, by the way?"

"I've put some of my essence into the diary, you see. And that's what answers to you."

"Ah – a bit like the paintings?"

"Yes, similar to that."

"Great! I'll see you later then, Tom."

When Remus stopped writing all the ink vanished and what the diary had returned had vanished, too. He nodded and said:

"Imagine what would have happened if Ginny had actually started to use this diary. She would have fallen under the spell of one Tom Marvolo Riddle. It doesn't take me much imagination to know how he would twist and turn her mind and use her to do his evil deeds. You will need to have a tight reign on the investigation, Sirius, no one can know about the real nature of this thing until we have found the others. It now becomes more urgent to actually find and destroy all of his Horcruxes, Albus. This thing here forces our hand."

"I know what some of them are, but not where they could be. I know where some of them are, but not what they could be," Albus said carefully.

"The where is more important than the actual what, I believe. If you know where to look then you won't have much of a problem to actually find them," suggested Sirius.

"I agree. Wouldn't be astonished if my blasted sister had one of them, since he obviously gave one to Nott," Andy said.

"Where would she put it? Gringotts?" Sirius asked, looking up.

"I have cleared her house when she was sent to Azkaban. I've only reduced everything and threw it into my vault. We can go and have a look. Otherwise you'd have to somehow convince the Goblins to let you into her vault. You might want to throw around your head of house powers," Andy told him, grinning.

"Sometimes they are actually of value, believe me," Sirius replied.

"But what about the basilisk now?"

"We need some roosters first."

"Oh, we just need to ask Hagrid, he'll give us a few of them," Minerva said.

"But tell him nothing, just tell him that Albus needs them. He's a sweetheart but he couldn't hold a secret if his life depended on it," Sirius told her.


End file.
